The world’s top fossil-fuel producing nations are still planning to increase their output of oil, gas and coal far beyond what the world’s climate targets would allow, according to a new United Nations report.
Even as the vast majority of countries have adopted net-zero pledges to slash their climate emissions, their own plans and projections put them on track to extract more than twice the level of fossil fuels by 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and nearly 70 percent more than would be consistent with 2 degrees Celsius of warming, according to the 2023 Production Gap Report by the U.N. Environment Program.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called the findings “a startling indictment of runaway climate carelessness.”
Inger Andersen, the executive director of U.N. Environment Program, said in a statement accompanying the report that “governments’ plans to expand fossil fuel production are undermining the energy transition needed to achieve net-zero emissions, throwing humanity’s future into question.”
Find the story at the link in our bio, our Stories or the “Links to Latest Posts” highlight on our page.
📸: The Washington Post via Getty Images
Europe’s regulatory drive to decarbonise construction now places embodied carbon at the centre of cost and compliance. Brussels’ move to extend the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to hundreds of imported steel and aluminium products is transforming embodied carbon in materials from a reporting metric into a financial liability. This shift accelerates environmental sustainability in construction, forcing the sector to embed whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment within procurement, pricing, and sustainable building design.
Firms that integrate environmental product declarations (EPDs), low embodied carbon materials, and life cycle thinking in construction gain a competitive advantage as traceability and low carbon design become prerequisites for carbon footprint reduction and sustainable material specification.
Market innovation reflects this transition. Carbon-storing renewable building materials such as earth-based bricks that degrade safely at the end of life are reshaping eco-design for buildings and promoting net zero whole life carbon performance. Circular construction strategies and circular economy models are tackling waste-intensive practices, turning disposable fit-outs into recoverable systems that enable end-of-life reuse in construction and measurable life cycle cost savings.
Such advances underline how circular economy in construction can accelerate resource efficiency in construction and sustainable building practices across supply chains. Policy alignment is strengthening this momentum. London’s integrated circular economy framework across its boroughs demonstrates how green infrastructure and sustainable urban development can institutionalise reuse, deconstruction, and low carbon building methods.
Combined with the rapid expansion of renewable energy and the growth of energy-efficient buildings, the carbon footprint of construction is increasingly shifting from operations to materials and embedded impacts. Global climate policy is reinforcing investment pathways. With increased adaptation finance through COP30 commitments, carbon neutral construction and green building products can move from aspiration to implementation.
The industry’s direction is unambiguous: sustainable construction now depends on rigorous whole life carbon management, eco-friendly construction solutions, and verifiable building lifecycle performance. Companies that adopt BREEAM, BREEAM v7, and low carbon construction materials, and that design for resilience, recovery, and end-of-life reuse, are positioned to deliver net zero carbon buildings and lead the transition to truly sustainable design in the built environment.
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.
eco
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?
