Global sea level saw a big jump from 2022 to 2023 due in part to a switch...

NASA Climate Change 2 years ago

Global sea level saw a big jump from 2022 to 2023 due in part to a switch between La Niña and El Niño conditions. A mild La Niña from 2021 to 2022 resulted in a lower-than-expected rise in sea level. A strong El Niño in 2023 helped boost the average amount of rise in sea surface height. Seasonal or periodic climate phenomena can affect global average sea level from year to year. But the underlying trend for more than three decades has been increasing ocean heights as a direct response to global warming due to the excessive heat trapped by greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. With more than 30 years of satellite observations, the data show that global average sea level has risen about 4 inches (9.4 centimeters) since 1993 and the rate of increase has more than doubled. #GlobalSeaLevel #SeaLevelRise #ClimateChange #NASAEarth #EarthData Video Description: In the center is an animated graph of Global Sea Level Rise from 1993 to 2023. On the X-axis are months January to December. The Y-axis goes from 0 centimeters to 10 centimeters. 0-0:07: As the years tick by at the top of the graph, lines of different shades of blue are added to the graph. Each new line appears above the last one graphed. The lines all have a similar smooth shape, with a slight bump around October. 0:08-0:10: The lines that were graphed all rotate together to form one single line. The line is jagged and trends upward. The months on the x-axis are swapped for the years 1990-2025. The y-axis remains the same.

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 hour ago



The UK’s decision to align its chemicals regulation with the EU has given the construction sector a stable framework crucial for sustainable construction and sustainable building design. By clarifying the approval process for low carbon construction materials and renewable building materials, the move strengthens environmental sustainability in construction and supports the shift towards low carbon design and Whole Life Carbon Assessment.

Such regulation underpins the creation of net zero carbon buildings and accelerates the sector’s transition to net zero Whole Life Carbon through stronger control of embodied carbon in materials.

Government backing of decarbonisation through the £470 million support package for ceramics and chemical factories signals a clear link between industrial policy and the wider Circular Economy in construction. This funding encourages manufacturers to deliver green building materials and eco-friendly construction products with lower embodied carbon, reducing the overall carbon footprint of construction.

As the Science Based Targets initiative refines its corporate standard for embodied and operational carbon reporting, firms will face new pressure to quantify the carbon footprint reduction achieved across building lifecycle performance and Life Cycle Cost analyses.

These developments mark a decisive move toward resource efficiency in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction, and life cycle thinking in construction. Cheap gas no longer dictates design decisions; carbon metrics now govern value, feasibility, and compliance. Green construction is evolving into carbon neutral construction, where lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon strategies define competitive advantage. The direction of travel is clear—the UK’s sustainable construction landscape now integrates sustainable material specification, circular construction strategies, and eco-design for buildings as central to delivery. Sustainability is not an adjunct but the organising principle shaping the environmental impact of construction and the decarbonising of the built environment.

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