"Since I became a climate reporter — and then a new dad — bedtime stories are different now," writes CNN's Bill Weir.
"Coming home from flood or drought, wildfire or research lab there awaits a four-year old named River who loves story time almost as much as he loves animals.
'Once upon a time, there was a camel,' I begin, after settling into the night-night chair and flipping to a picture of his old man after a ride around the Great Pyramids of Giza. I point out the splayed toes perfect for walking on sand, and eyelids seemingly custom-made to see through a sandstorm. 'It looks like they were born to live in hot places, doesn’t it?'
River nods.
'Wrong!' I blurt with the zeal of discovery. 'The camel is actually from Canada! Like your mom!'
Camel fur turns out to be a decent sunscreen that helps with thermal regulation, those snowshoe feet perform well in sand while triple eyelids evolved in countless blizzards also work in Sudanese haboobs.
But these accidental advantages were just the beginning."
Click the link in bio for more.
📸: Julian Quinones/CNN
The UK’s retrofit gap remains the defining issue for sustainable construction. The National Retrofit Hub’s call for a stronger national retrofit system exposes persistent weaknesses in standards, skills, finance and policy stability. Treating retrofit as national infrastructure would support whole life carbon reduction, improve building lifecycle performance and strengthen environmental sustainability in construction across the existing building stock.
Nesta’s finding that electricity bills are rising more slowly than gas could sharpen the business case for low carbon design. Heat pumps, electric vehicles and fabric-first upgrades become more attractive when assessed through life cycle cost rather than upfront capital alone. Developers, landlords and retrofit providers can position electrification as a route to energy-efficient buildings, lower exposure to fossil-fuel volatility and progress towards net zero carbon buildings.
Climate adaptation is now a core test of sustainable building design. Planting, shading, passive cooling, urban greening and green infrastructure are becoming essential responses to overheating risk, particularly for lower-income households. Eco-design for buildings must address summer resilience as well as winter efficiency, linking sustainable design with health, comfort and long-term carbon footprint reduction.
Major infrastructure remains the sector’s most difficult contradiction. Renewed uncertainty over Heathrow expansion raises questions about the carbon footprint of construction, embodied carbon in materials and the credibility of net zero whole life carbon policy. Large projects need robust whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and transparent sustainable material specification, supported by environmental product declarations (EPDs), low embodied carbon materials and circular economy in construction principles. Sustainable construction has the techniques; consistent governance is still missing.
Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do
get in touch.
Let's chat!
WLC Assistant
Ask me about sustainability
Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?