NAIROBI (dpa-AFX) – According to experts, the construction sector could be made climate-neutral by 2050. This would be possible if materials were saved, building materials such as concrete and steel were produced in a more climate-friendly manner and more renewable raw materials were used, according to a report published on Tuesday by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and researchers at Yale University in the United States.
According to the report, so many new buildings are being built around the world that a city the size of the French capital Paris is added every five days. The construction sector is currently responsible for 37 percent of CO2 emissions. By 2060, it is estimated that the land area and the use of raw materials will almost double.
The experts’ approach is to avoid new buildings as much as possible and to promote the reuse of building materials, to use biological raw materials such as timber, bamboo and biomass from sustainable sources and to produce building materials such as concrete, steel or glass in a more climate-friendly way, for example through the use of renewable energies in production as well as through recycling and innovative technologies./cpe/DP/nas