Seven months ago, a fiery blaze raged through my ancestral land of Hawaii, consuming thousands of acres, with Lahaina in Maui at the epicenter. Experts say the fires were supercharged by climate change, and native plant species being replaced with less fire-resistant ornamental species.
The harm caused to nature since the dawn of the industrial era is so extensive that efforts must be taken to protect what is left and restore what has been degraded. This means immediate action, joining hands, and working together from the poles to the Pacific islands.
Even without superpowers, we’re the most powerful creatures in Earth’s history. It remains entirely up to us to determine how that power shall be unleashed.
Do we restore Lahaina and other degraded areas using nature-based solutions that build on what had worked for centuries before, or do we let powerful profit-driven corporations steamroll our voices? My appeal to our generation is to embrace and advocate for the restoration of nature and start making waves.
Tap the link in @cnn bio to read more of Momoa’s essay for CNN Opinion.
📸 : Courtesy Jason Roman
Global momentum toward sustainable construction is strengthening as policymakers and industry embed environmental sustainability in construction at the core of economic strategy. Britain’s Climate Change Committee warns that accelerating home retrofit and adaptation to temperature and water stress is crucial for reducing the carbon footprint of construction and improving building lifecycle performance. Early interventions aligned with Whole Life Carbon Assessment and lifecycle assessment demonstrate that prevention is more financially sustainable than delayed response.
Rising energy prices sharpen attention on sustainable building design and the “fabric first” approach, where airtightness, insulation, and eco‑design for buildings deliver measurable carbon footprint reduction and life cycle cost savings. The UK government’s plan to classify major green infrastructure and clean energy projects as Critical National Importance may unlock faster planning for renewable building materials and low carbon construction materials, providing a framework for net zero carbon buildings and decarbonising the built environment.
The United Nations’ endorsement of legal scrutiny for state inaction signals a shift toward enforceable accountability in net zero Whole Life Carbon policy and sustainable material specification. Public procurement built on environmental product declarations (EPDs) could strengthen trust and transparency across the supply chain, as seen in procurement trends with SMEs.
In research and innovation, advances in carbon‑negative cement and embodied carbon reduction through mineral carbon sequestration embody the next phase of low carbon design. These breakthroughs connect circular economy principles and end‑of‑life reuse in construction with scalable solutions for carbon neutral construction. The integration of resource efficiency in construction, circular construction strategies, and low embodied carbon materials confirms that sustainability in the built environment now depends on disciplined execution and verifiable performance rather than aspiration.
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