For the global construction industry, concrete is a key component. Even were only renewable energy sources employed for its production, the chemical process emits significant greenhouse gases. Paul Hockenos reports from Prague where the upcycling of waste-site rubble for new buildings cuts demand for concrete – and thus for energy.
All posts tagged: sustainability
The New European Bauhaus
The original Bauhaus sought to create the building of the future that would unite every discipline from architecture to sculpture and painting. 100 years later, European Commission president, Ursula Von der Leyen has revitalised the movement to create homes and public buildings that help cities become greener and that reconnect us with nature, based on the 3 principles of sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion. This New European Bauhaus (NEB) gives a platform for architects, artists, students, engineers and designers to work together. The Commission has created NEB prizes showcasing projects that help steer the movement towards its goals. Ciarán Cuffe, who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Greens/EFA group, gives us some insights.
Worse than coal: New data finds Nord Stream 2 contradicts EU climate goals
In the years since the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany was permitted, evidence continues to mount that fossil gas does not provide a clean bridge to renewables. Projected to emit over 100 million metric tons of CO2 per year – plus fugitive methane, German regulators refuse to investigate the climate impacts of Europe’s largest fossil fuel project. Nor have they agreed to hold hearings on this emerging data ahead of September’s federal elections. But the EU’s adoption of emissions reduction targets of 55% by 2030 on the way to mid-century carbon neutrality means NS2 will clearly breach these limits. In the third installment in an on-going series, Lead Blogger L. Michael Buchsbaum interviews one of the world’s leading authorities on methane, Dr. Robert Howarth, whose data suggests the pipeline’s impacts could be worse than the coal it’s replacing.