diff --git a/examples/build_scripts/build_gaea_c5_gcc.sh b/examples/build_scripts/build_gaea_c5_gcc.sh
index 45908b6c..87bac83a 100644
--- a/examples/build_scripts/build_gaea_c5_gcc.sh
+++ b/examples/build_scripts/build_gaea_c5_gcc.sh
@@ -10,14 +10,14 @@ module load PrgEnv-gnu
 module rm gcc
 module load gcc/12.2.0
 module load boost/1.79.0
-module load python/3.9
+module load python/3.11.7
 
 export CC=`which gcc`
 export CXX=`which g++`
 export MPICC=`which mpicc`
 export MPICXX=`which mpicxx`
 export DACE_compiler_cpu_executable=${CXX}
-export GT4PY_EXTRA_COMPILE_ARGS="-O3 -ffast-math -fprefetch-loop-arrays -flto=thin -funroll-all-loops"
+export GT4PY_EXTRA_COMPILE_ARGS="-O3 -ffast-math -fprefetch-loop-arrays -funroll-all-loops"
 export OPENMP_CPPFLAGS="-fopenmp -fopenmp-simd"
 export OPENMP_LDFLAGS="-fopenmp -fopenmp-simd"
 
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ git clone --recursive https://github.com/NOAA-GFDL/pace
 cd pace
 
 # create a conda environment for pace
-conda create -y --name my_name python=3.11.9
+conda create -y --name my_name python=3.11.7
 
 # enter the environment and update it
 conda activate my_name
diff --git a/examples/build_scripts/build_ppan_intel.sh b/examples/build_scripts/build_ppan_intel.sh
index 4cad3143..c14dad78 100644
--- a/examples/build_scripts/build_ppan_intel.sh
+++ b/examples/build_scripts/build_ppan_intel.sh
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ conda config --add envs_dirs $CONDA_PREFIX/envs
 cd $PACE_DIR
 
 # create a conda environment with cartopy and its dependencies installed
-conda create -c conda-forge -y --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME python=3.11.9 matplotlib==3.5.2 cartopy==0.18.0
+conda create -c conda-forge -y --name $ENVIRONMENT_NAME python=3.11.7 matplotlib==3.5.2 cartopy==0.18.0
 
 # enter the environment and update it
 conda activate $ENVIRONMENT_NAME