Last week, the EPA opened up the first round of applications for the Thriving...

Inside Climate News 1 year ago

Last week, the EPA opened up the first round of applications for the Thriving Communities program, giving hopeful applicants like Nerbonne less than two months to navigate the complicated federal grantmaking process before Trump is sworn in. In fact, several EPA regions have yet to open their application processes, leaving some groups worried they won’t be able to complete their applications on time. Congressional Republicans have been vocal about their intention to cut or limit the environmental justice grant program, characterizing it as a form of cronyism, providing support to political allies of Democrats and opponents of fossil fuels. Trump himself suggested in a 2023 campaign video that he could “simply choke off the money” allocated under the Inflation Reduction Act. Ending environmental justice grantmaking is also part of the vision laid out in Project 2025, the policy roadmap that conservative groups drew up for Trump’s second term. Although Trump professed no familiarity with Project 2025 during the campaign, he has named authors of the plan to key positions in his new administration. Project 2025 called for pausing and reviewing all environmental justice grants in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decisions against affirmative action. Read more from @insideclimatenews on how Republicans plan to target environmental justice funding at the link in our bio. ✍️ @insideclimatenews 🎨 @fathersid_ @epagov #environment #climatechange

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 day ago



Water scarcity has become a core concern for sustainable construction and sustainable building design, with the United Nations warning of potential global water bankruptcy and heightened risk to desalination plants in the Gulf. The construction sector is shifting towards diversified water systems that embed efficiency, reuse, and resilience. These changes align with whole life carbon and lifecycle assessment principles, ensuring environmental sustainability in construction through resource efficiency in construction and life cycle cost analysis. In the UK, stronger regulation following pollution incidents is driving utilities to invest in cleaner networks and green infrastructure, creating new pipelines of low carbon construction materials and sustainable building practices.

Digital manufacturing is transforming eco-friendly construction through AI-driven tools that automate complex formwork and optimise material use. By integrating eco-design for buildings and low carbon design methodologies, contractors reduce embodied carbon in materials and the overall carbon footprint of construction. This digital precision supports net zero whole life carbon strategies and demonstrates how circular construction strategies underpin a circular economy in construction.

Energy security and climate risk are reinforcing the need for carbon neutral construction and renewable building materials. Projects optimised for energy-efficient buildings and net zero carbon buildings are proving more resilient, cost-stable, and aligned with whole life carbon assessment frameworks. The industry trajectory favours sustainable material specification, end-of-life reuse in construction, and decarbonising the built environment through lifecycle performance and life cycle thinking in construction. Firms advancing sustainable design founded on building lifecycle performance and resource efficiency will lower embodied carbon while improving long-term asset resilience, delivering measurable reductions in the environmental impact of construction.

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