How Skanska is building sustainable infrastructure that will endure

The focus on greenhouse gasses is typically on CO2, but we shouldn’t forget about methane. From the NOAA article Increase in atmospheric methane set another record in 2021 – Carbon dioxide levels also record a big jump (4/7/2022):  For the second year in a row, NOAA scientists observed a record annual increase in atmospheric levels of methane, a powerful, heat-trapping greenhouse gas that’s the second biggest contributor to human-caused global warming after carbon dioxide.  NOAA’s preliminary analysis showed the annual increase in atmospheric methane during 2021 was 17 parts per billion (ppb), the largest annual increase recorded since systematic measurements began in 1983. The increase during 2020 was 15.3 ppb. Atmospheric methane levels averaged 1,895.7 ppb during 2021, or around 162% greater than pre-industrial levels. From NOAA’s observations, scientists estimate global methane emissions in 2021 are 15% higher than the 1984-2006 period.  Methane data links are at the bottom of this Global Monitoring Laboratory page. There is also a methane project on the Calculus Projects page.

Vanessa Nord believes that a rethinking is underway in Germany’s professional sports. In 2019, the 28-year-old founded a company that supports clubs on their way to sustainability: ecologically, socially and economically. Apparently, she struck a chord: Nord has already worked with FC Bayern Munich, the second German ice hockey league, and the German Boxing Association.

The lack of reliable power is sparking a political crisis on the island territory of Puerto Rico, where years of neglect, a string of severe hurricanes and a shaky takeover by a private contractor have resulted in the most expensive and unreliable electricity in the U.S., according to The New York Times. And attempts to rebuild or patch a grid that was ailing even before the storms hit risk making things worse, University of Puerto Rico professor Agustín A. Irizarry told the Times.

As the workplace continues to evolve, the drive toward sustainability in the office has emerged as a priority for businesses looking to align their internal green goals with the external steps they’re taking to reduce their global environmental impact.According to research from Harvard Business School, 2019 saw more than 10,000 publicly listed companies creating corporate sustainability reports, up from fewer than 20 firms in the early 1990s. Meanwhile, the share of Global 500 organizations setting sustainability targets spiked from 30% in 2009 to 89% in 2018.  In recent years, sustainability—often top of mind from an operational standpoint—has become a workplace mandate. “Ten or 20 years ago, workplace sustainability might have meant putting out recycling bins or setting up a reusable water bottle station,” says Cathy Resler, sustainability and ESG advisory lead at the global public relations company Hill+Knowlton Strategies. “There may have been a feeling of, ‘OK, we’ve checked the box.’ But today, companies want to build a workplace that aligns their values with their purpose. It’s much more interconnected than it used to be.”