Photos by James Whitlow Delano @jameswhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange...

Every Day Climate Change 2 years ago

Photos by James Whitlow Delano @jameswhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange As summer reaches record heat, and talk turns to the warming planet, it again becomes clear to me that only a few voices in the US can get a word in edgewise. We need more voices, voices of those in the field witnessing and documenting the devastating consequences of our changing climate – not the same celebrity climate activists. 1. A fishing boat left behind on Lake Poopo, formerly Bolivia's second largest, that has completely dried up in large part due to climate change. Lake Poopo dried up completely in 2015. Poopo was suffering for years with increased meltwater diversion and contamination of water along its source, the Desaguadero River but prolonged decrease in rains and intense drought, due to climate change, led to this 2,400 sq km (926 sq. mi.) lake, an area five times larger than Lake Tahoe, to dry out completely, killing estimated 3 million fish and thousands of birds. 2. Riding this road in Bulakan (correct spelling), every day, during high tide is likely riding out to sea, due to rising sea levels and subsiding ground from over-exploitation of an underground aquifer. Bulakan (correct spelling(, Bulacan (correct spelling) Province, The Philippines 3. 2023: The sun filtered through the smoke of the forest fire in San José de Palco. Bío Bío, Chile. In the 13th year of a megadrought in Central Chile, over 425,000 hectares (1,050,197 acres) of forest have burned, most of it in dessicated monoculture tree plantations of highly flammable exotic species of eucalyptus and Monterey pine. At least 26 people have been killed and 2,000 injured. 4. The advancing Sahara: Small fields of wheat, irrigated by water from a solar powered pump drawn from a 15 meter deep well, are planted amid sand dunes which are encroaching upon the palmeraie oasis of M'Hamid. Morocco This palmeraie is drying out due to the the climate crisis and a dam build at the top of the valley at the base of the Atlas Mountains.

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 9 hours ago



Sustainable construction is moving from ambition to delivery, with finance, planning and grid capacity now defining the pace of decarbonising the built environment. Climate risk is becoming a capital allocation issue, yet the gap between stated concern and investment remains severe, especially for SMEs facing a global green-finance shortfall for energy efficiency, clean technology and adaptation. For construction firms working on thin margins, net zero carbon buildings will depend on bankable resilience, credible life cycle cost analysis and procurement models that reward whole life carbon performance rather than short-term lowest cost.

The UK’s planned major electricity substation in Tees Valley underlines the scale of green infrastructure required to support industrial decarbonisation, heat electrification, energy-efficient buildings and low carbon construction materials. Grid reinforcement is critical to net zero carbon delivery because sustainable building design relies on clean power as much as sustainable material specification. Without resilient energy networks, low carbon design, renewable building materials and green building products cannot deliver meaningful carbon footprint reduction across the built environment.

Planning reform could accelerate retrofit, renewable infrastructure and sustainable urban development, provided faster approvals do not weaken scrutiny of embodied carbon, nature, resilience and the environmental impact of construction. Whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and life cycle thinking in construction should sit at the centre of decision-making, with BREEAM, BREEAM v7 and environmental product declarations (EPDs) helping clients compare embodied carbon in materials and building lifecycle performance. Speed must support high-quality sustainable design, not simply move weak schemes through the system faster.

The worsening climate outlook, including warnings on ice loss and a possible 2.6C warming trajectory, reinforces the need for eco-design for buildings that are resilient to future extremes rather than historic weather patterns. Environmental sustainability in construction now requires circular economy principles, circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and resource efficiency in construction to reduce the carbon footprint of construction. The sector’s pragmatic next phase is clear: net zero whole life carbon, circular construction strategies, low embodied carbon materials and sustainable building practices must become standard practice in green construction, eco-friendly construction and carbon neutral construction.

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