Weather events are becoming more unpredictable, more intense and more damaging, posing huge challenges in both preparing for and recovering from their growing impact, says Jeremy Kelly, Global Director of Cities Research at JLL echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); From extreme heat across southern Europe to the heaviest rainfall on record in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, to flooding in Brazil and cyclones devastating parts of southern Africa, cities face unprecedented physical risks. Continue →

A request for proposals to construct the Humboldt Cable has been issued, which looks to connect with cable systems across Asia and to other countries and territories including New Zealand echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); Desarrollo País and H2 Cable are looking to begin construction of the estimated 15,000 km Humboldt Cable, the first to connect Latin America, the Asia Pacific and Oceania. Continue →

BCITO has announced the winners of the 2024 Building Leaders Awards, celebrating outstanding BCITO employers in the trades who are helping build the future leaders of tomorrow’s construction sector. Continue →

Stubbornly high costs and performance issues threaten the prospects for carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to the Institute for Energy Economic and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); In just two years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has halved its outlook for fossil fuel use in association with CCS by 2040 and 2050 in its Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario. Continue →

Core to meeting countries’ emissions budgets and 2050 targets, and often conveniently ignored, is the inevitable shift from a linear to a circular economy, writes Greenbox Chief Executive Ross Thompson echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); Global efforts against climate change have the flaky feel of a personal fitness programme – lots of good intentions and promises but at the crunch, low resolve and missed targets. Continue →

Local government Minister Simeon Brown’s intention to appoint a crown observer to Wellington City Council raises concerns, not so much about the council as about the quality of the advice the Minister has received, writes Peter McKinlay echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); Those concerns go to the very heart of the intended role of the Department of Internal Affairs of advising on Water Service Delivery Plans including whether plans satisfy the financial sustainability requirement. Continue →

‘Delivery efficiency’ is an abstract phrase, but an infrastructure consultancy boss says it boils down to using tools and techniques to do things better and remove waste from projects or programmes echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); Whether it’s a level crossing removal, rail upgrade, new road, or water plant, one thing is more exciting than anything else for WSP’s Wellington-based director of strategic advisory, Hunter Dean – delivery efficiency. Continue →

Concrete roads are well suited for high intensity traffic and are more cost effective in the long run, according to a new economic report echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); The Case for Concrete Roads report says concrete roads are on average 17 per cent cheaper over whole-of-life, reduce embodied carbon in roading and significantly reduce the cost and frequency of road maintenance. Continue →

A proposed Kaipara-based $730 million waste to energy incinerator to burn Auckland’s rubbish and produce electricity could be operational by 2028 By Susan Botting, Local Democracy Reporter Northland echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0);Artist’s impression of the proposed waste to energy plant in Waimate, south Canterbury that SIRRL has been pushing to build since 2021. Continue →

New water policies have been welcomed by Civil Contractors New Zealand, but its Chief Executive Alan Pollard says contractors are suffering from a lack of immediate work, despite the severe need for upgrades to water infrastructure echo adrotate_group(33, 0, 0, 0); The key detail of the Government’s Local Water Done Well policies is that the New Zealand Local Government Funding Agency Limited (LGFA) can now lend to water Council Controlled Organisations (CCO) that are financially supported by their parent council(s). Continue →