Photos by @jameswhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange: 1. Farmer, Ahmed...

Every Day Climate Change 5 months ago

Photos by @jameswhitlowdelano for @everydayclimatechange: 1. Farmer, Ahmed Nile examines alfalfa in his field (wheat grows in the field on the left), irrigated by water from a 15 m deep well, brough to the surface by a solar-powered pump. According to Nile, digging a 15m well costs roughly US$ 1,500 and an electric pump costs US$400, and one solar panel (farmers need between four and six polars to power a pump) costs roughly US$ 125 per panel - princely sums for small-scale farmers. Nile’s pump and solar panels were subsidized by ANDZOA (National Agency for the Development of Oases and Argan Zones) [* A thorny evergreen tree, Argania spinosa, native to Southwest Morocco, that yields a plum-sized fruit with a nut that that is processed into cooking oil] - a government agency that offers technical and economic help for farmers in oases regions in Morocco. Zwaya within the palmeraie oasis of M’Hamid 2. Farmer, Ahmed Nile walks through his fields of alfalfa and wheat, Zwaya in the oasis of M’Hamid. Morocco 3. Farmer Ahmed Nile's solar panels and mudbrick house that shelters the 15m deep well and electric pump that brings irrigation water to the surface. Zwaya in the oasis of M’Hamid, Morocco 4. Solar panels that power an electric pump that brings irrigation water to the surface. Zwaya in the oasis of M’Hamid, Morocco #climatechange #climatecrisis #sahara #drought #morocco #maghreb #northafrica

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 10 hours ago



The sustainable construction sector has demonstrated measured progress this week, with multiple projects advancing low carbon design principles and reinforcing a global shift toward environmental sustainability in construction. The UK finalist for the Earthshot Prize has attracted international attention with its “upcycled skyscraper” concept. The project exemplifies how sustainable building design can decarbonise cities by reusing existing structures rather than rebuilding, cutting embodied carbon in materials and reducing the overall carbon footprint of construction. It shows that net zero whole life carbon targets are achievable when adaptive reuse is supported by rigorous whole life carbon assessment. This approach represents a pivot away from demolition-led development and towards truly circular construction strategies.

G F Tomlinson’s completion of the Barnsley College University Centre modernisation delivers a tangible demonstration of sustainable building practices rooted in lifecycle assessment. The retrofit has safeguarded the building’s Art Deco heritage while integrating a low carbon building methodology that promotes energy-efficient buildings and greener infrastructure. By retaining the original structural frame, the project has cut the embodied carbon of construction, proving that low carbon construction materials and renewable building materials have comparable performance to conventional options when guided by life cycle thinking in construction. The work also highlights the significance of BREEAM and emerging standards such as BREEAM v7 in defining measurable sustainability benchmarks.

In Cambridgeshire, work is commencing on the £500 million Medworth Energy from Waste facility, a major investment designed to support a functioning circular economy in construction and energy supply. Through combined heat and power systems, the development will assist future net zero carbon buildings by providing renewable energy outputs while applying whole life carbon methodologies to reduce lifecycle emissions. Although energy-from-waste has detractors, its integration with eco-design for buildings reinforces its potential as part of wider carbon neutral construction strategies that prioritize resource efficiency in construction and whole life cost management.

At the global level, the announcement of the Earthshot Prize finalists underscores that sustainable design and green construction principles now define the benchmark for engineering relevance. With emphasis on embodied carbon reduction and net zero carbon pursuits, these initiatives promote sustainable urban development grounded in measurable environmental product declarations (EPDs) and transparent assessment of the environmental impact of construction. The shift signifies a maturing understanding that building lifecycle performance is fundamental to both commercial resilience and global climate commitments.

Concerns surrounding delays to the European Union Deforestation Regulation highlight the risk to sustainable material specification. Timber and green building materials remain vital in achieving low embodied carbon materials for eco-friendly construction, and a policy setback could compromise supply chain transparency. Safeguarding sustainable architecture relies on consistent international standards that support end-of-life reuse in construction and drive decarbonising the built environment. The week’s stories collectively show that sustainability in the built environment has evolved beyond aspiration—whole life carbon analysis, circular economy methodologies, and life cycle cost integration are now the practical core of how future cities will be designed and built.

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