Climate

A dynamic material flow model was developed to simulate the evolution of global aluminum stocks in geological reserve and anthropogenic reservoir from 1900 to 2010 on a country level. The contemporary global aluminum stock in use (0.6 Gt or 90 kg/capita) has reached about 10% of that in known bauxite reserves and represents an embodied energy amount that is equivalent to three-quarters of the present global annual electricity consumption.

Carbon neutrality to limit global warming is an increasing challenge for all industries, particularly for the cement industry, due to the chemical emission of the process. For decades, reducing the clinker factor has been one of the main strategies to reduce the carbon footprint. Additional cuttings in the clinker content of cements seem possible with the upsurge of novel supplementary cementitious materials.

Glass is a material inextricably linked with human civilization. It is also the product of an energy intensive industry. About 75% to 85% of the total energy requirements to produce glass occur when the raw materials are heated in a furnace to more than 1500 °C. During this process, large volumes of emissions arise. The container and flat glass industries, which combined account for 80% of total glass production, emit over 60 million tonne of CO2 per year.

There are several facets of aluminum when it comes to sustainability. While it helps to save fuel due to its low density, producing it from ores is very energy-intensive. Recycling it shifts the balance towards higher sustainability, because the energy needed to melt aluminum from scrap is only about 5% of that consumed in ore reduction. The amount of aluminum available for recycling is estimated to double by 2050.

Contractors are uniquely positioned to impact the sustainability of building projects. In preconstruction, contractors impact the design of a building by providing feedback to designers and clients. They influence product and material selection through the submittal process. Finally, contractors control how a project gets built, including the equipment that’s used, how construction waste is managed, and the extent of surrounding site and landscape disturbance.

In 2010 the worldwide building sector was responsible for 24% of the total GHG emissions deriving from fossil fuel combustion, second only to the industrial sector; but, if the embodied energy of construction materials is included, the share is far higher and the building sector becomes the prime CHG emitter. Thus,building design and construction have a significant effect on the chances of meeting the 2 °C target (keeping global temperature increase to 2 °C ). 

Digital library of building materials sustainability, and 'passports'. Madaster is the online registry for materials and products. In Madaster, data are recorded on all materials and products that are incorporated in a real estate or infrastructure object, such as buildings and bridges.  Registering every component provides insight, for example, into the degree to which an object can be dismantled, embodied carbon, or the toxicity of the materials and products used. It also enables determining whether materials and products can be reused after disassemblage.

The Sustainable Construction Leaders (SCL) peer network, available through Building Green and based in North America, is a community with regional ties that shares best practices, advocates for, and inspires change in a way that is collaborative, non-competitive, trusting, positive, and results-oriented.  It aims to leverage the construction industry to combat climate change and create healthy environments.

Based on an extensive literature review on passive building designs for tropical climates, seven energy-efficient building design principles for tropical climate areas were deduced.

Developed in conjunction with JLL and the Forum’s Real Estate CEO community, the Green Building Principles: The Action Plan for Net Zero Carbon provides a clear sequence of steps to deliver net-zero carbon buildings and along with globally applicable guidance on implementation.