The Trump administration quietly released key climate change data last week...

CNN Climate 5 months ago

The Trump administration quietly released key climate change data last week that has historically been accompanied by expert analysis from government scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CNN has learned. The lack of context minimized the government's own findings that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide — the most abundant planet-warming gas in the air — jumped up by a record amount in 2024. Instead of issuing a public-facing web story with an explanation of the annual measurement, as the agency has at this time of year for about a decade, NOAA public affairs officials scuttled those plans and instead released the new data on X and Facebook on April 14, sources at the agency told CNN. The social media posts link to NOAA's CO2 data-tracking web page. The episode, along with recent budget and staffing cuts, illustrates the Trump administration's resistance to publicly distributing climate change-related data. The posts on X and Facebook, for example, did not call attention to the record-high rate of year-over-year increase in CO2 concentrations. NOAA has also suspended monthly climate press calls during which scientists would discuss global temperatures and the reasons for particular trends. There is no indication NOAA limited its scientists' ability to speak with the press about the annual CO2 data. A NOAA spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment. Read more at the link in our bio. 📷: Charlie Riedel/AP/File

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 1 hour ago



A surge of innovation is redefining sustainable construction, with projects across the UK demonstrating how environmental sustainability in construction can merge with design excellence and performance resilience. At the forefront is the shortlisted “upcycled skyscraper”, a striking case of circular economy in construction where existing structures are adapted rather than demolished. The project exemplifies low carbon design by reusing steel and concrete frames to reduce embodied carbon in materials and limit the carbon footprint of construction. Through a robust whole life carbon assessment, the scheme proves that sustainable building design can embody elegance and cost-efficiency while advancing the goal of net zero whole life carbon in urban regeneration.

The Medworth Energy from Waste Combined Heat and Power facility in Wisbech represents a parallel movement toward decarbonising the built environment. By transforming residual waste into usable energy, the £500 million investment underscores how sustainable building practices contribute to green infrastructure and long-term resource efficiency in construction. Designed to power more than 80,000 homes with low-carbon electricity, the facility highlights how lifecycle assessment and low carbon construction materials factor into environmental product declarations (EPDs) and end-of-life reuse in construction plans. It demonstrates that whole life carbon reduction can be achieved when energy generation is woven into the broader framework of sustainable urban development.

Heritage buildings are equally central to this transition. G F Tomlinson’s retrofit of Barnsley College’s University Centre into the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology embodies life cycle thinking in construction and shows how low-impact construction methods can rejuvenate older assets. The project integrates renewable building materials and green building products while preserving the structure’s Art Deco façade. It stands as an archetype of eco-friendly construction and sustainable material specification, proving that a low carbon building can bridge history and high performance without undermining architectural integrity.

Industry analysis reveals that the private sector is expanding its commitment to net zero carbon buildings, embedding BREEAM and emerging frameworks like BREEAM v7 into procurement and reporting systems. Corporations are prioritising life cycle cost evaluations and circular construction strategies to ensure that every design stage addresses embodied carbon and operational efficiency. In shifting toward carbon neutral construction, these firms are retooling supply chains and adopting low embodied carbon materials tailored to each project’s environmental impact of construction metrics. The movement marks a clear pivot from voluntary green construction efforts toward measurable and verifiable sustainability outcomes.

Prince William’s advocacy for scalable sustainable design through initiatives such as the Earthshot Prize captures a global mood: carbon footprint reduction must be inherent to every phase of eco-design for buildings, from concept development to building lifecycle performance analysis. The momentum now depends on how effectively policymakers and developers align lifecycle assessment methodologies with on-site practice. With the integration of circular economy strategies and net zero carbon benchmarks, sustainable construction is emerging not as an alternative niche but as the foundation of future-ready, low carbon, energy-efficient buildings. The shift signals a systemic commitment to transforming the environmental sustainability of construction into a central metric of progress, setting a new global standard for how we build, adapt and sustain the built environment.

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