Why Push Forward for Sustaibability?

It is common knowledge that the construction industry is responsible for a substantial percentage of CO2 emissions world wide. I intend to discuss this topic with my group to see if they have any further knowledge to add.

Up until recently little pressure was forced upon construction professionals to make efforts to be sustainable. Even small changes such as sourcing local materials, replacing man-made building materials for renewable ones will make an enormous difference to climate and our rapidly decaying planet.

Legislation has now been enforced to ensure buildings and construction workers are adhering to good environmental practice. With organizations such as RIBA, SCALA, AECB, CLP and BAUDER we are finally beginning to make that step forward.


The construction industry accounts for around one-tenth of the world’s gross domestic product, seven percent of employment, half of all resource usage and up to 40 percent of energy consumption. This industry has a profound impact on our daily lives: the buildings we live and work in, the roads and bridges we drive on, the utility distributions systems we use, the railways, airports and harbours we travel and trade from are all products of this vital industry.
The construction industry is also a key indicator and driver of economic activity and wealth creation. But, the industry’s future prosperity will depend on its capacity to evolve on business, technological and environmental fronts.

http://www.pwc.com/extweb/industry.nsf/docid/707e1d1bdd3b2e0785256df800185c8c

The building and construction sector is one of the world’s largest industries in terms of revenues, employees and consumption of resources. The industry has moved toward a far reaching global network with major impacts on society, individual life and future generations.

The effects of climate change could cost the world between 5% and 20% of its GDP
Poor co-ordination in the construction industry has led to large numbers of inefficient buildings
With no action, each tonne of carbon dioxide we emit will cause at least £45 of damage
More policies are needed to ensure that architects tackle energy efficiency at the design stage
The report forecasts famine, floods, mass movement of people and the destruction of the species if the Earth’s temperature continues to rise

http://www.building.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=29&storycode=3076590&c=1