NASA tracks changes to the planet with satellites and other scientific...

NASA Climate Change 2 years ago

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]

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 hour ago



Momentum in sustainable construction is now driven by tangible progress in materials and methods rather than declarations. The focus on reducing embodied carbon in materials and undertaking robust whole life carbon assessment is reshaping how developers, architects and engineers define sustainable building design. Initiatives such as the Reducing Plastics in Construction Summit reinforce the value of renewable building materials, eco-design for buildings and circular economy in construction frameworks to eliminate petroleum-based polymers and improve resource efficiency in construction.

Biobased composites, recyclable resins and modular approaches are being evaluated through lifecycle assessment tools that can accurately measure the carbon footprint of construction and inform sustainable material specification throughout each project stage. Digitisation is rapidly becoming integral to low carbon design and energy-efficient buildings. Advanced platforms now enable unified modelling of cost, performance and carbon, aligning lifecycle cost optimisation with environmental sustainability in construction.

TM2 Bygg’s software-led method illustrates how low carbon building processes built on data-driven insights help achieve net zero carbon buildings and deliver improved building lifecycle performance. At the policy level, regulators are reinforcing requirements for measurable reductions in embodied carbon and clear evidence of net zero whole life carbon outcomes. These shifts point toward an industry-wide transformation grounded in whole life carbon transparency and the adoption of BREEAM v7 and other sustainable building practices to standardise reporting.

The result is a market that values circular construction strategies, end-of-life reuse in construction and environmental product declarations (EPDs) as verification of a project’s environmental impact of construction. New renewable energy infrastructure, including next‑generation geothermal systems, could redefine the carbon footprint reduction potential of green building materials and low carbon construction materials. As baseload renewables expand, achieving carbon neutral construction and sustainable urban development becomes increasingly viable. The sector is moving beyond pilot projects toward a mature phase of green construction, integrating life cycle thinking in construction and decarbonising the built environment as core business practice.

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