Photos by James Whitlow Delano @jameswhitlowdelano for...

Every Day Climate Change 2 years ago

Photos by James Whitlow Delano @jameswhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange: I want to start the year on a positive note – by celebrating responsible stewardship of the land, most often by indigenous peoples. There are few more awesome examples than the rice terraces, made by hand, centuries ago by the indigenous Ifugao people, high in the cordillera of the Banaue region, Luzon Island, Philippines. Humanity could do no better than to seek the wisdom of indigenous peoples around the world, when it comes to sustainability. If you look at satellite images of autonomous regions administered to by indigenous peoples, what you are most likely to find are patches of green, sustainably-maintained land. Having said all this, the rice terraces in the Banaue region, in recent years, have eroded significantly because of increased frequency of flooding due to torrential downpours. We all share the planet together but those who depend upon the soil for their sustenance, study climate cycles, seasonal transition, are more likely to take the view of nurturing the health of the environment for future generations. #climatecrisis #Ifugao #indigenouspeoples #sustainability #globalwarming #climatechange #philippines #banaue #water #riceterraces

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 4 hours ago



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.

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