Photo by James Whitlow Delano @jamewhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange.
1. Man braces a sandstorm rips through a dry wadi that has not seen any water for years, delivering sand from the Sahara. Every year, in the past, this wadi would fill will water seasonally but no longer with the climate crisis meaning less rain here and in the Atlas Mountains from where this wadi begins and because of the the al-Mansour Eddahbi Dam, built in 1971/72, at the base of the Atlas Mountains.
The dam was supposed to provide better water management by regular releases of water from the dam for communities. Before 1972, the Wadi Draa River, its source in the Atlas Mountains, would run all the way down through the Valley of Draa, beyond M'Hamid and discharge in the now completely dry Lake Iriki, a former seasonal wetland. After 1972, there would be periodic releases from the dam, with certain amounts of surface water distributed to each village down the valley, M'Hamid being the last. The dam's sluice gates were said to open seven times a year but most older residents remember water filling irrigation ditches, that are now filled with Sahara sand (photo# 2), opening three or four times a year. From 1972 - 2002, sufficient filling of the dam's reservoir, to fullfill the demands of agriculture in the valley, was only been achieved 13 out of 30 years, according to a 2016 report by the University of Bonn.
#climatecrisis #globalwarming #climatechange #water #desertification #mhamidelghizlane #sahara #oasis #morocco #valleyofdraa
Renewable energy supply remains at the centre of sustainable construction progress, driven by a sharper emphasis on whole life carbon reduction and embodied carbon transparency. The landmark Power Purchase Agreement between Ecotricity and major UK venues such as The O2 and Hammersmith Apollo introduces hourly-matched renewable electricity directly into construction-adjacent infrastructure. This approach demonstrates how low carbon design and sustainable building practices are extending beyond individual projects to influence energy management across the built environment, creating a measurable impact on the carbon footprint of construction.
Innovation in low carbon building technology has accelerated through electric vehicle integration within heavy industry. Munro, the Glasgow-based manufacturer of electric 4x4 vehicles, has secured £2 million to expand production for mining, defence and construction sectors. The company’s portfolio aligns with net zero carbon buildings objectives and supports the decarbonising of the built environment, enabling contractors to meet life cycle cost targets through improved efficiency and reduced fuel dependency. Such advancements signal how sustainable design is being applied to both the machinery and materials that underpin green construction.
In materials science, the substitution of traditional carbon black with char—an upcycled byproduct of chemical recycling—marks a step forward in circular economy in construction principles. This innovation reflects a growing reliance on low embodied carbon materials and supports eco-friendly construction through reduced dependency on fossil-based additives. The move embodies whole life carbon assessment methodologies where each material’s energy input and reusability are evaluated to enhance building lifecycle performance, ensuring resource efficiency in construction extends across entire supply chains.
Skills and regulatory frameworks are evolving to match these innovations. The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals has launched the UK’s first accredited carbon accounting curriculum, designed to support ESG practitioners in conducting lifecycle assessments and environmental product declarations (EPDs). By integrating life cycle thinking in construction education, the programme strengthens understanding of embodied carbon in materials and fosters sustainable material specification that ensures transparency within sustainable building design. It also aligns with standards such as BREEAM and BREEAM v7, essential benchmarks for environmental sustainability in construction.
Policy continues to reinforce technical change. The EU’s simplification of its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism deepens alignment between trade and climate performance, addressing the environmental impact of construction imports while reinforcing circular economy goals. The initiative strengthens Europe’s drive toward carbon neutral construction and reinforces the importance of end-of-life reuse in construction. Together, these shifts suggest a sector embedding whole life thinking at scale, where green building materials, renewable building resources and eco-design for buildings converge to deliver net zero whole life carbon outcomes that redefine sustainable urban development.
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