The construction industry has a rather bad reputation for producing greenhouse gasses. At the current time, the industry contributes to around 50 percent of all climactic change. This is not just due to gas production. Natural resource extraction is considered to have the largest impact. Greenhouse gas production is, however, a major concern among clued-up construction leaders. This article is a very brief rundown of the types of gasses produced in the construction industry and how these emissions are being reduced and mitigated.
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrogen is the most abundant element in the Earth’s atmosphere and is essential to all life. It is inert and harmless – leading to its use in industry. In food packaging, a nitrogen generator is used to create the inert gas, which is then used to keep foods fresh. All plants need ‘fixed’ nitrogen in order to survive. Unfortunately, nitrogen is a part of a compound that is sometimes described as the ‘forgotten greenhouse gas’ – nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is produced as a byproduct of nitrogen ammonia that goes unused by plants, industrial and construction processes. Unlike nitrogen, it causes huge damage to the ozone layer and contributes to smog. Nitrous oxide is thought to account for around 6 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Although the vast majority of nitrous oxide pollution is released by agriculture via ammonia fertilizer, the construction industry is contributing too.
The main source of nitrous oxide in the construction industry is diesel engines. When combusted, diesel releases a huge amount of N02. The construction industry is slowly coming to terms with its impact on the Earth. Reducing the reliance on diesel-powered vehicles could be the answer to the high levels of emission released during building. New electrical construction vehicles are finally becoming a viable option.
Carbon Dioxide
Although the Earth’s atmosphere contains a great deal of carbon dioxide, humanity has produced so much of the gas that it is displacing oxygen, creating a powerful greenhouse effect and tipping the homeostatic balance of the planet. Carbon dioxide is by far the most heavily produced greenhouse gas and is a direct threat to the future of human and animal life on the planet. Like all greenhouse gasses, carbon dioxide traps heat from the Sun inside the atmosphere, which contributes to rising global temperatures and the melting of the polar ice caps.
The construction industry accounts for around 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. In recent years, this figure has been rising by an alarming amount. Interestingly, this is thought to be because of a shift towards using electrical machines instead of petroleum-powered tools. The generation of electricity is currently more carbon intensive than the burning of petrol. A twisted world indeed. The only real way of reducing these figures significantly is to decarbonize the energy production sector. Most developed countries around the world are grappling with this mammoth task at the moment with varying degrees of success. The United Kingdom is lagging behind many countries in this effort.