The other day someone online said something like, “why does it feel like there were more trees when I was younger.” They were going through the timeline of Google Maps and it did look like the more modern photos felt a little more empty. This new report by Nate Halverson felt like an answer to that person’s question. If a tree in the forest is sprayed with glyphosate and no one is there to warn you about it, how would you know? Foragers are unknowingly being exposed to glyphosates through the mushrooms they pick. The herbicide is creating a monoculture that is destroying ecosystems— ironically making the forest more susceptible to future fires. The people benefitting the most are billionaires (surprise). Please go read the full piece on @motherjonesmag. It’s a long but VERY worthwhile read.
The week’s sustainability in construction agenda is being shaped by policy delivery, clean power capacity and verified building performance rather than headline technology. The UK climate watchdog’s warning over failures to meet national targets raises direct risks for sustainable construction, where developers and contractors are under growing pressure to cut embodied carbon, prove whole life carbon outcomes and align projects with net zero carbon buildings.
New gas licensing weakens confidence in long-term decarbonising the built environment, leaving investors with less certainty for low carbon design, sustainable building design and net zero whole life carbon strategies.
The next clean-power Contract for Difference auction could reduce wholesale electricity costs and deliver £11bn in net savings to households and businesses by 2050, strengthening the case for heat pumps, electric plant, smart controls and energy-efficient buildings. Corporate demand for renewable power is already outstripping supply, making credible procurement essential for net zero carbon claims.
Whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis are becoming central to investment decisions, with building lifecycle performance now judged against measured outcomes, not intent.
Inside buildings, the push to make pumps part of a building’s digital DNA underlines the value of operational data in reducing waste. Poorly monitored plant can lock in excess energy use for decades, undermining carbon footprint reduction and the carbon footprint of construction across an asset’s life.
The direction is clear: environmental sustainability in construction now depends on low embodied carbon materials, sustainable material specification, environmental product declarations (EPDs), circular economy principles and resource efficiency in construction. BREEAM, BREEAM v7 and stronger performance standards will increase scrutiny of sustainable building practices, circular economy in construction, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies. Green construction will be defined by evidence: low carbon construction materials, eco-design for buildings, transparent data and disciplined delivery.
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