The Indian Point nuclear power plant was an energy juggernaut for 50 years,...

CNN Climate 2 years ago

The Indian Point nuclear power plant was an energy juggernaut for 50 years, generating a quarter of the electricity that powered New York City's iconic, glowing skyline. It is well into its decommissioning process after shutting down in 2021: The remaining waste of the radioactive fuel that once generated all of that power has been sealed inside more than 120 hulking metal and concrete canisters. This is one of several misconceptions about nuclear energy: America's nuclear waste is not buried in a mountain or tucked at the bottom of a deep, rocky cavern. It is sealed away in coffin-like casks and spread out among more than 50 locations around the country. Most other countries with longstanding nuclear energy programs have plans to create a permanent home for these spent fuel canisters. The US does not. That is almost entirely because Americans are by and large opposed to living anywhere near nuclear waste, and suspicious of governments' or utilities' attempts to assuage nuclear fears. But the perception of danger is a hurdle quickly becoming one of the country's biggest obstacles to uploading a glut of climate-friendly energy onto the grid. Tap the link in bio for more. 📸 : Mike Stewart/AP

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 5 hours ago



Digitalisation and decarbonisation are integrating at pace across sustainable construction. At Scotland’s Monklands project, digital workflows enable whole life carbon assessment and precision tracking of embodied carbon, cutting life cycle cost through predictive design and optimised offsite fabrication. The Durham initiative applying automated site assessment tools has accelerated approvals while reducing the carbon footprint of construction, aligning data efficiency with environmental sustainability in construction.

In Liverpool, biophilic eco-design for buildings demonstrates how sustainable building design is contributing to low carbon design and improved occupant wellbeing through living architecture that enhances green infrastructure. Government policy now links affordability with sustainability. Early measures from the Burnham administration suggest a commitment to decarbonising the built environment and net zero carbon buildings through incentives rooted in life cycle thinking in construction.

Regulatory pressure is mounting as agencies introduce more robust frameworks for carbon footprint reduction, reinforcing accountability across the industry. Material innovation remains central to progress. Enzyme‑based recycling and a £125 million facility for chemical reuse in Darlington indicate that circular economy in construction and circular construction strategies are moving into mainstream infrastructure.

These advances in low embodied carbon materials, renewable building materials, and green building products signal a shift towards carbon neutral construction supported by verifiable environmental product declarations (EPDs). Across digital tools, biomimetic systems, and progressive material science, sustainable building practices are redefining building lifecycle performance, embedding whole life carbon accountability into every stage. Efficiency, resilience, and ecology are converging to deliver net zero whole life carbon outcomes consistent with BREEAM v7 principles, confirming that sustainable design is now integral to construction’s economic and environmental logic.

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