Page 39 - Islands Business October 2023 edition

Building and Construction Building and Construction
URGENT NEED TO CUT EMISSIONS

The building sector, responsible for an astonishing 37% of using fewer materials and encourages the reuse of buildings
global greenhouse gas emissions, has been grappling with and recycled materials whenever feasible.
a severe lack of climate-focused development funding, Regenerate: Until the middle of the previous century, cities
according to a report published by the United Nations were erected using mostly renewable materials, with old
Environment Programme released in September. structures reused in new projects.
With a new area the size of Paris under development around Regenerative material-use emphasises the use of ethically
the globe every week, the construction industry contributes produced, low-carbon earth and bio-based building materials,
heavily to climate change. such as sustainably sourced bricks, timber, bamboo, as well as
However, the sector has received only a fraction of ‘agricultural and forest detritus’.
environmentalists’ attention and of the funds allocated to Decarbonise: The third pathway focuses on improving
combat emissions compared with other industries. methods to radically decarbonise conventional materials such
Until now, most of the focus has been made on reducing as concrete, steel, and aluminium.
the “operational carbon” of buildings—the emissions created For example, production of steel, the backbone of modern
from heating, cooling, and lighting, which are projected to architecture, could be transformed to use only renewable
decrease from 75% to 50% over the next few decades. energy, the experts propose. They also insist that non-
However, the authors of Building Materials and the Climate: renewable, carbon-intensive materials should only be used
Constructing a New Future, argue that the bulk of potential when absolutely necessary, minimising their environmental
emissions cuts lie in how buildings are constructed, and to impact.
what end. Besides that, UNEP-led specialists believe when designing
Now the team of experts are calling for the creation of a new buildings, architects should keep in mind the ways to
‘circular material economy’ to facilitate the achievement of disassemble the structures and to reuse materials reducing
the goals set out in the Paris Agreement on climate. thus the landfill burden.

Three pathways Web of factors
They outline the following three immediate pathways Addressing the industry’s carbon emissions is a complex web
for decarbonisation that require active support from all of different factors, involving numerous stakeholders, thus
participants of the construction sector’s lifecycle—from the report underscores the critical importance of developing
materials producers, architects and designers to builders and new models for cooperation to drive the much-needed
property operators: transformation in the sector.
Recycle: Experts suggest that before building anything It is also clear that without significant funding and
new, materials that exist already should take priority through cooperation, the ambitious goal of achieving net zero
reconstruction, refurbishment, or repurposing. emissions from construction by mid-century may remain
UNEP advocates for the adoption of a circular economy elusive, with potentially devastating consequences for global
approach to reduce the extraction and production of raw warming.
materials.
This strategy calls for data-driven design processes aimed at UN News

We are a Civil Engineering Contracting Company
with a vision of providing quality results and
comprehensive and dependable service in the
areas of:
• earthworks
• roading
• drainage
• watermain construction VUKSICH & BORICH (FIJI) PTE LTD
Denarau Island, Nadi
• development and construction of subdivisions PO Box 794, Nadi
Ph: (679) 675 0266
• siteworks Mob.: (679) 999 1365
• land reclamation and foreshore protection Mladen Matulic
• golf course & sports facilities construction vandb@connect.com.fj

Islands Business, October 2023 39