Utah is in a snow drought and it's not alone: Much of the vast, mountainous West is missing its lifeblood — fueled by record-hot temperatures so far this winter. California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, only recently pasted with heavy snow from atmospheric river storms, are the exception.
And while this is an immediate problem for businesses and active outdoors fans, experts are also worried about bigger implications in the near future.
If the trend continues, it could deepen the West's long drought, aggravating already contentious negotiations about allocating water along the Colorado River. It could also heighten wildfire risks and reduce water supplies in other areas well beyond the Colorado River Basin.
Salt Lake City and the nearby ski resorts are slated to host the Winter Olympics in 2034. Salt Lake City recorded its second-latest measurable snowfall on record this year, when a tenth of an inch fell on December 27.
Read more at the link in our bio.
📷: Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post/Getty Images; Alex Goodlett/The New York Times/Redux
Sustainable construction is shifting from rhetoric to rigorous evaluation of place, purpose, and impact. Developers in water‑stressed regions are prioritising compact, low carbon building forms grounded in environmental sustainability in construction, aligning land‑use with watershed management and climate resilience. In India, repeated landslide damage has underscored the cost of neglecting hydrology and slope stability, reinforcing the role of sustainable building design rooted in life cycle thinking in construction and local conditions.
Across the sector, high‑performance affordable housing and corporate campuses are setting new benchmarks for sustainable building practices. Whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment are emerging as essential tools for comparing retrofit versus new‑build decisions, directing focus to embodied carbon, embodied carbon in materials and end‑of‑life reuse in construction.
The scrutiny of the carbon footprint of construction and life cycle cost metrics is steering clients toward low embodied carbon materials, energy‑efficient buildings and renewable building materials. Corporate commitments to net zero carbon and net zero whole life carbon are driving adoption of eco‑design for buildings and low carbon design frameworks informed by BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards.
Circular economy in construction principles are shaping specifications that favour circular construction strategies, green building materials and sustainable material specification to minimise waste and maximise resource efficiency in construction. Equity and resilience now define sustainable urban development. Communities engaged in green infrastructure planning and carbon neutral construction are finding that social outcomes and trust can accelerate delivery and reduce the environmental impact of construction.
Practitioners are integrating whole life carbon data, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and building lifecycle performance indicators alongside cost and quality, embedding sustainable design and green construction values at every scale. The global agenda for decarbonising the built environment is moving from aspiration to measurable specification, signalling a decisive turn toward low‑impact construction that balances performance, affordability and long‑term sustainability.
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
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