NASA tracks changes to the planet with satellites and other scientific instruments. These include monitoring sea surface heights, sea surface temperatures, precipitation, and more. With these measurements, we can see the global impact of climate phenomena including El Niño and La Niña. What’s up with El Niño and climate change? Swipe through ➡️
#NASA #ENSO #ClimateChange #Earthdata
Image Description (1/2):
Slide 1: In the background, a data map of sea surface temperature anomalies superimposed on a globe. Text on slide reads: What’s up with El Niño & climate change? Red arrows guide the reader to the next slide.
Slide 2: Black slide with a global temperature map. Text on slide reads: NASA reported that 2023 was the hottest year on record. That was fueled primarily by a long-term rise in human emissions of greenhouse gases. But warmer ocean temperatures from El Niño also added to the global temperature. We know because NASA satellites help us keep an eye on our changing planet. Red arrows guide the reader to the next slide.
Slide 3: Black background. A map of ocean temperature has a white border around it. Text on slide reads: The Breakdown: El Niño. Normally the winds blow from east to west across the tropical Pacific Ocean, which pushes warm water to the west. During El Niño, these winds weaken and the warm water moves back to the east. This results in warmer tropical waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. Red arrows guide the reader to the next slide.
Slide 4: Black background. A map of ocean temperature has a white border around it. Text on slide reads: The Breakdown: La Niña. Sometimes the winds that normally blow from east to west in the tropical Pacific strengthen, pushing warm water to the west. Colder, deeper water then rises to the surface along South America’s Pacific coast. This results in cooler ocean waters known as La Niña. A red arrow guides the reader to the next slide.
[Image Description continued in the first comment]
The UK’s acceleration toward *sustainable construction* underscores a decisive shift from ambition to delivery. National Grid ESO’s reforms to the grid connection process remove zombie projects and prioritise actionable, low carbon design ready to unlock billions in clean energy infrastructure. This structural change supports *green infrastructure* essential to *decarbonising the built environment*, linking energy planning with *sustainable building practices* that address both whole life carbon and embodied carbon impacts through rigorous whole life carbon assessment.
Offshore wind’s expansion, now generating nearly one-fifth of Britain’s electricity, highlights how *environmental sustainability in construction* relies on scalable, *eco-friendly construction* solutions. The developing offshore supply chain demands *sustainable building design* that integrates *circular economy in construction* strategies and *resource efficiency in construction*, enabling the transition towards *net zero carbon buildings* and *net zero whole life carbon* performance.
While material innovation remains subdued, the rise of energy-efficiency retrofits reflects a shift towards life cycle cost optimisation and *building lifecycle performance* over short-term gain. Firms such as Mapei point to recovery driven by energy-efficient buildings and *low embodied carbon materials*, reinforcing the value of *eco-design for buildings* and *sustainable material specification* guided by *environmental product declarations (EPDs)*. These principles strengthen the circular economy ethos and advance *carbon footprint reduction* across every project stage, from design to *end-of-life reuse in construction*.
Africa’s emerging solar market signals global diversification of *green construction*, with the continent expected to become a testbed for *low carbon building* strategies suited to extreme climates. The transition invites adoption of *circular construction strategies*, *renewable building materials*, and *sustainable urban development* underpinned by *life cycle thinking in construction*.
The alignment of policy reform, financial investment, and technical capability confirms that *sustainable design* has become core to delivering *carbon neutral construction* and reducing the *carbon footprint of construction* worldwide. The era of incremental action is ending—the new metric of success is measurable whole life carbon performance and resilient, *green building materials* innovation delivering true *sustainability* in the built environment.
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.
eco
WLC Assistant
Ask me about sustainability
Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?