Climate crisis – Ellis Fox

Is regulation the only path to net-zero for the built environment?

Despite increasing extreme weather events, and rising costs of materials, the push to achieve net zero in the built environment is proceeding at snail’s pace. While there are a handful of success stories, in general, investors still seem hesitant to lay out the capital to […]

Why Construction needs to focus on creating Green Spaces in urban areas

In terms of climate change, construction and specifically infrastructure, are facing a number of challenges. Aging infrastructure is proving to be less resilient to extreme weather events. Repairs and upgrades are costly, as are the disruptions to communities while these are undertaken. There are many […]

How will the UK’s BNG requirement impact construction and infrastructure?

To its credit, the UK has taken a global leadership role in defining policy when it comes to environmental matters. As with any country, the challenge is implementation and how to overcome obstacles that crop up along the way. One of the latest policies, due […]

Earth Overshoot Day – What can construction be doing differently?

The last time that human consumption of natural resources equalled the capacity of what the planet could provide was around 1969. Since then, it’s been a steady decline. The average size of vertebrate population species has declined by 68% while the human population has grown […]

Should construction be aiming beyond net-zero?

The term net-zero has become synonymous with reducing carbon emissions, waste and the overall carbon footprint of companies and building sites. Several main contractors have made public commitments to achieving this in their operations and this is commendable. By definition net-zero strives to balance the […]

What does Earth Day mean for construction?

A recent article in Construction Management by David Stockdale, highlighted some concerning statistics. 25% of UK adults still claim that climate change is a myth and effectively the rest say that it leaves them feeling anxious, powerless and negatively affected by it. He then goes […]

UK infrastructure can’t take the heat

The past week saw scorching temperatures across the UK and it wasn’t just the people feeling the heat. The UK’s aging infrastructure took a severe knock with roads blistering and railway lines buckling. In case anyone was still wondering if global warming is a myth, […]

Energy Resilience – renewed urgency to transition to renewables

With their ambitious net zero targets, the UK government has been praised for legislating the path to a greener, more sustainable energy infrastructure. Yet the reality of achieving those goals is still a long way off. Even as an increasing number of investments in hydrogen, […]

Will the UK’s infrastructure survive ongoing storms?

The past week saw the UK battered by three consecutive storms resulting in heavy rain and snow, strong winds and extensive damage to infrastructure. Train stations were flooded, coastal town were battered, and many major roads and motorways became impassable under the deluge of water. […]