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KICK THE HABIT
THE PROBLEM
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... and Housing
Buildings are responsible for more than 40 per cent of energy use in OECD
countries and at a global level they account for about 30 per cent of GHG
emissions according to UNEP’s Sustainable Building and Construction Ini-
tiative. In absolute terms the amount is rising fast as construction contin-
ues apace, especially in rapidly developing countries. Heating, cooling and
lighting our homes and using household appliances absorbs 11 per cent of
global energy. Yet the average UK household could save around two tonnes
of CO
2
annually by making its home
energy-efficient
; in essence, improve
insulation, heating systems and lighting.
Construction in itself affects GHG emissions.
Cement
for example is a
high-emission construction material, whereas wood is renewable and thus
climate-friendly. But be careful: there’s good wood and not-so-good wood.
If a forest has to be cut down to build your house and is not re-established
afterwards, additional CO
2
will be emitted, just as with concrete (that goes
for furniture as well).
Agriculture
Agriculture is an important contributor to climate change with GHG emis-
sions comparable in volume to the transport sector. First, there is the carbon
emitted from tilling and deforestation. Then there is the use of fossil fuels in
fertiliser production and other agricultural chemicals, for farmmachinery in
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Energy Efficiency in
Buildings (EEB) project concludes that by cutting energy use in buildings by about
30 per cent, Europe’s energy consumption would fall by 11 per cent, more than half
of the 20-20-20 target (20 per cent less carbon dioxide by 2020, with 20 per cent
renewables in the energy mix). What is more, it saves money.
The cement industry contributes about 5 per cent to global anthropogenic CO
2
emissions, making it an important target for CO
2
emission mitigation strategies.
Whereas concrete can be recycled by crushing it and using it to replace gravel in road
construction, cement has no viable recycling potential; each new road and building
needs new cement. In booming economies from Asia to Eastern Europe new con-
struction is both a driver and a consequence of increasing wealth, which is also why
about 80 per cent of all cement is made and used in emerging economies.