Climate change is one of the most serious problems facing the world right now. It occurs due to the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide gas and other gasses in the atmosphere, which causes the greenhouse gas effect.
The greenhouse gas effect caused by carbon dioxide and other gas pollution is a product of natural causes and human activities. Humans produce those gasses from burning fossil fuels for transportation, energy making, manufacturing, etc. With these temperature changes because of the greenhouse gas effect, more problems are surfacing, like health problems or calamities such as floods, heat waves, and forest fires. Changes in temperature, weather, and climate patterns can put lives at risk. WHO estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will trigger approximately 250,000 deaths each year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
A viable solution to this problem that we can offer to this problem as civil engineers is the green building concept. The green building concept is a concept of sustainable construction. Buildings account for nearly 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), according to Architecture 2030. By building green, we can reduce the impacts our buildings have on contributing to climate change while also building resilience in our homes and communities.
The green building concept encompasses a structure’s planning, design, construction, operations, and end-of-life recycling or renewal while considering energy, water, indoor environmental quality, materials selections, and location. Green buildings and communities reduce landfill waste, enable alternative transportation use and encourage the retention and creation of vegetated land areas and roofs.
This concept appreciates thoughtful decisions about building locations that encourage compact development and connection with transit and amenities, helping lower GHGs associated with transportation. When a building consumes less water, the energy—and GHGs—otherwise required to withdraw, treat and pump that water from the source to the building are avoided. Additionally, less transport of materials to and from the building cuts associated fuel consumption. All of these strategies significantly reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and occupants beyond what energy efficiency alone does.
Climate change is one of the most serious problems facing the world right now. The greenhouse gas effect caused by carbon dioxide and other gas pollution is a product of natural causes and human activities. A viable solution to this problem that we can offer to this problem as civil engineers is the green building concept. The green building concept is a concept of sustainable construction. Green buildings and communities reduce landfill waste, enable alternative transportation use and encourage the retention and creation of vegetated land areas and roofs.
