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March 18, 2010
From waste to green - Denver Post
SITUATION
Rapid construction is raising the standard of living and material wealth in China, India, and other developing countries. At the same time, construction is contributing to rising global CO2e emissions that unchecked will lead to catastrophic climate change.
Rapid construction is raising the standard of living and material wealth in China, India, and other developing countries. At the same time, construction is contributing to rising global CO2e emissions that unchecked will lead to catastrophic climate change.
Spending on new construction globally reached record levels prior to the 2008 recession, achieving 5% growth between 2005 and 2006. Forecasts for construction in developing countries, including China and India, show strong growth up to 2020.
Emissions of CO2e from the manufacture of building materials in 2009 are estimated to be more than 4 billion tons, or 8%, of total global anthropogenic emissions and increasing to by more than 2 billion tons annually by 2020 under business-as-usual.
Emissions of CO2e from building materials are primarily linked to energy consumption during manufacture, but also include greenhouse gas releases from chemicals used in the process. Cement and steel are the largest contributors to CO2e emissions in the building materials sector and have seen little innovation on the production side over the last century.
Emissions from cement alone are over 2 billion tons of CO2e annually, or 4% of global emissions. Other building materials whose manufacture contributes to total emissions in the sector include siding, roofing, windows, flooring, and finishings. These segments are beginning to show product differentiation around ‘green building.’
OBJECTIVE
Strong growth and continued innovation in the ‘green’ low-carbon segment of the building materials sector is needed to reduce overall energy use and associated CO2e emissions from construction. Several billion tons of CO2e emissions reductions could come from the materials sector by 2020.
Strong growth and continued innovation in the ‘green’ low-carbon segment of the building materials sector is needed to reduce overall energy use and associated CO2e emissions from construction. Several billion tons of CO2e emissions reductions could come from the materials sector by 2020.
Measures that can accelerate market growth include the following: (1) standards to accurately track embodied energy, (2) R&D funding in categories where good materials alternatives are still several years away (e.g. steel), and (3) industry partnerships that can take ‘green,’ or low-carbon, to the next level of design. Accelerated review for new products is also appropriate given the urgency for low-carbon solutions.
Scale up support for low-carbon cement and steel production is needed. Cement production that uses 50% less energy through use of fly ash and volcanic ash could save over 1 billion tons of CO2e annually by 2020. Low-carbon approaches to steel production entail recycling scrap steel in electric-arc furnaces (requiring 60% to 70% less energy than traditional production) or use of direct reduced iron (DRI) (with 50% CO2e savings). Approximately one third of global steel production is from scrap steel.
Significant CO2e reductions can also be achieved through whole-building design that adopts low-carbon materials throughout the structure. Products with recycled content or waste or scrap inputs that have 50% lower embodied energy are already in the market and becoming ready for wider distribution.
Market-based Approaches
Despite the downturn in construction due to the 2008 global recession, the green building materials segment has maintained growth and is the fastest growing segment of the building materials market. This signals consumer demand for sustainable products and the potential for a market-based approach to CO2e reductions in this sector. Consumer demand for sustainable choices has driven the market to date, and increasing awareness of sustainability issues will help the industry expand.
Cost savings associated with reduced energy use in the manufacture of materials and reductions in onsite construction waste make new low-carbon materials potentially attractive to the industry. Carbon risk is also a concern for energy-intensive industries, including cement and steel, and may factor into strategic business decisions. Once low-carbon materials are market-tested, policy support in the form of mandates for materials that meet these new low-carbon standards is needed to achieve rapid scale up by 2020.
BUILDING MATERIALS CAN REDUCE EMISSIONS
Choosing to use high-quality and energy efficiency materials pays-off over the life-cycle of buildings. For example, foam insulation and low-emissivity windows help to save energy on heating and...
Read more >
BUILDINGS ARE A MAJOR EMISSIONS SOURCE
Residential and commercial buildings consumed 39% of all energy in the US in 2007. Better planning, construction, and retrofitting of existing structures can signifcantly reduce their energy use...
Read more > Source: Center for American Progress, 2009
EMISSIONS FROM BUILDINGS ARE RISING
Buildings are responsible for close to 40% of global CO2e emissions, as estimated by the IEA in 2008. Opportunities for emissions reductions include energy efficiency, low-carbon...
Read more > Source: WBCSD, 2009INTELLIGENCE
REPORTS
Global Information, Inc., 2006
SBI, 2007
SRI Consulting, 2007
McGraw-Hill, 2008
Greener World Media, 2008
NextGen Research, 2009
PUBLICATIONS
J Yudelson
2007
2007
A. Wilson, M. Piepkorn.
2006
2006
