In broad daylight, law enforcement officers raid a warehouse on the outskirts of the city of Sukhumi in Abkhazia, a Russia-backed breakaway Georgian region. No one's there; no drugs or weapons either. Only a large cooling cabinet containing dozens of electronic devices. This is a cryptocurrency mine.
A video of the raid was posted in December by the Abkhaz press service, one of many it has posted to YouTube since 2021. Crypto mining is banned in Abkhazia, yet for years this energy-intensive industry has flourished, attracted by the region's cheap hydropower.
For Abkhazia, it comes at a cost. The region typically faces seasonal power shortages as water levels drop in the winter, but they have become more disruptive because of crypto mining, which is sucking up electricity 24 hours a day.
What's happening in Abkhazia is extreme but it's indicative of a global trend. The crypto industry, while always volatile, is booming and is hungry for power. "Electricity is the largest cost input to crypto," said Theresa Sabonis-Helf, an energy security professor at Georgetown University.
To get their hands on it, many miners — both illegal, like those in Abkhazia, as well as legally-operating companies — are looking to places where they can tap into cheap electricity, often those with plentiful renewables. Experts warn it can come at a cost for local people, exacerbating shortages and diverting clean energy.
Tap the link in @cnn bio for more.
📸 : ImageBroker/Shutterstock
Peel Waters has submitted a new planning application for Mea Park West, a major part of the Wirral Waters regeneration scheme in the UK. The development is centred on low carbon design, featuring green infrastructure, cycle networks, and public realm improvements. Positioned as one of the country’s most ambitious projects, the expansion is expected to strengthen sustainable building practices while supporting net zero carbon ambitions and local employment. The project reflects a shift towards sustainable urban development where environmental sustainability in construction is treated as a baseline requirement rather than an add-on.
Unifi has introduced ThermaLoop, an insulation derived from REPREVE® recycled textiles, bringing the Circular Economy into the spotlight. The closed-loop takeback programme used to create the material addresses embodied carbon in materials and reduces the carbon footprint of construction through innovative resource efficiency in construction. Products like this signal a move towards low embodied carbon materials and renewable building materials, ensuring insulation plays a larger role in whole life carbon assessment and sustainable building design.
Ameresco has completed a $5.3 million energy infrastructure project at Ave Maria University. The scheme delivered solar power, HVAC upgrades, and smart metering to curb emissions and enhance energy-efficient buildings. While campus facilities are often older and energy-intensive, this project demonstrates how targeted retrofits support net zero whole life carbon objectives and long-term building lifecycle performance. Such investment highlights the role of life cycle cost analysis in planning sustainable building design and meeting expectations for carbon neutral construction.
Shifts in global data suggest major companies are scaling back on ESG marketing while increasing tangible action. More than a quarter of recent emissions reductions stem from private industry initiatives. Within construction, this underscores the importance of whole life carbon strategies, lifecycle assessment, and life cycle thinking in construction as developers focus on measurable outcomes rather than declarations. The trend advances decarbonising the built environment and reinforces the use of circular construction strategies over surface-level claims.
Materials data management is also improving, with collaborations such as Novata and S&P Global Sustainable1 aiming to simplify environmental product declarations (EPDs). Streamlined reporting frameworks aid sustainable material specification, eco-design for buildings, and life cycle thinking in construction. For large-scale investors and developers, these tools support effective circular economy in construction strategies and broaden adoption of sustainable building practices across international projects.
Growing water scarcity around the UK and globally is shaping sustainable design responses. Rainwater harvesting, efficient plumbing, and eco-friendly construction approaches are now central to building lifecycle performance. This redefines sustainable architecture and reinforces the environmental impact of construction on local ecosystems. Integrating low-impact construction techniques improves resilience while aligning projects with green building products and end-of-life reuse in construction, demonstrating how environmental sustainability in construction can mitigate resource threats.
Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do
get in touch.
