The last 12 months in a row have each set record high temperatures for their...

NASA Climate Change 2 years ago

The last 12 months in a row have each set record high temperatures for their respective month – an unprecedented streak in @nasa’s record. The record months are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, especially greenhouse gas emissions. May 2024 was the warmest May on record, marking a year of record-breaking monthly temperatures. Around the world, average temperatures were 1.14 °C (~2 °F) warmer than the 1951-1980 May average in NASA’s global temperature record, GISTEMP. Our temperature record starts in 1880 and uses data from instruments on ships and buoys and thousands of stations on land. The 12 month streak was affected by El Niño, which usually causes warmer temperatures, among other factors. Earth is moving out of El Niño toward La Niña, which can cause relatively cooler temperatures. Even with La Niña’s influence, 2024 will likely be one of the hottest years on record. This record heat wasn’t just seen on land. Ocean temperatures have also been breaking records. Overall, the ocean is absorbing about 90% of the excess heat in the climate from increased greenhouse gases from human emissions. #Earth #Climate #ClimateChange #Temperature #Data #Science #NASA

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 14 minutes ago



Regulatory momentum across the built environment is tightening as governments and industry bodies align around robust frameworks for decarbonising construction. The EU’s reform of carbon market controls aims to maintain strong carbon price signals to advance whole life carbon reduction, while ISO’s new standard on net‑zero transition plans gives investors and contractors a consistent structure for measuring life cycle cost and performance. The Science Based Targets initiative is establishing clearer boundaries between verifiable net zero carbon buildings and unsubstantiated claims, driving greater transparency in embodied carbon reporting and lifecycle assessment within construction supply chains.

Engineering progress is translating policy ambition into practice. Plans for a large‑scale direct air capture plant on Teesside highlight a new model of carbon neutral construction industry in the UK, pairing heavy engineering expertise with circular economy principles. Expansion of natural fibre insulation and low embodied carbon materials into mainstream housing retrofits demonstrates eco‑design for buildings moving beyond pilot projects. Sustainable construction now depends on accurate whole life carbon assessment and the specification of renewable building materials validated through environmental product declarations (EPDs).

Climate resilience is reshaping valuation and insurance models as climate‑driven subsidence data sharpen awareness of the environmental impact of construction. Developers are applying sustainable building design and low carbon design strategies to manage soil instability and resource efficiency in construction projects. The focus on whole life carbon and embodied carbon in materials signals a maturing market where green construction and sustainable building practices are metrics of competitiveness, not aspiration. Standards such as BREEAM v7 reinforce this shift toward lifecycle performance, end‑of‑life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies that define the next phase of environmental sustainability in construction.

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