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

NASA Climate Change 3 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 7 hours ago



Sustainable construction is moving from ESG aspiration to financial discipline. More than 830 companies and investors now back TNFD nature-risk disclosure, including investors with $26tr under management and listed firms worth $10.5tr. For developers, designers and material suppliers, environmental sustainability in construction is becoming inseparable from balance-sheet risk, whole life carbon, embodied carbon and credible whole life carbon assessment.

Climate exposure is also redefining sustainable building design. Insurers are reported to be retreating from some climate-risk cover, making life cycle cost, building lifecycle performance and resilience central to investment decisions. Satellite evidence of uneven urban subsidence, including coastal Jakarta sinking by up to 7cm a year in some areas, underlines the need for sustainable design, low carbon design, robust foundations, drainage and green infrastructure from the earliest project stages. Southern England’s severe water stress and tougher regulatory checks on corporate water use reinforce the commercial case for energy-efficient buildings, water-conscious eco-design for buildings and sustainable urban development.

Materials transparency is becoming a decisive test for green construction. Think Timber’s new pricing and supply-chain data platform points to the practical data needed to scale renewable building materials, green building materials and low carbon construction materials beyond flagship schemes. Stronger visibility over timber supply, sustainable material specification and embodied carbon in materials supports lifecycle assessment, environmental product declarations (EPDs), resource efficiency in construction and more reliable procurement for net zero carbon buildings.

The defence of the EU emissions trading system by energy and business groups signals intensifying pressure on cement, steel and other carbon-heavy inputs. The carbon footprint of construction will be priced more directly, accelerating demand for low embodied carbon materials, carbon footprint reduction, carbon neutral construction and decarbonising the built environment. Firms pursuing net zero whole life carbon will need circular economy thinking, circular economy in construction, circular construction strategies and end-of-life reuse in construction rather than isolated product substitutions.

UK construction output fell 1% in the second quarter, sharpening the commercial test for sustainable building practices. The strongest firms will make low-impact construction, eco-friendly construction and net zero carbon delivery repeatable rather than bespoke. BREEAM, BREEAM v7 and similar frameworks will matter most where they support life cycle thinking in construction, measurable building performance and lower environmental impact of construction. Green building is no longer a marketing claim; it is risk management, insurability and long-term asset protection.

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