Buildings and climate changeBuilt Environment
Buildings and climate change - The construction industry is one of the largest contributing factors to the ongoing damage to our surrounding natural environment through the creation and release of carbon emissions. As the population grows, more homes and buildings are needed and more resources are used. This growth unless managed has a negative impact on the environment, right the way through the construction process from building on site, to occupancy and finally building operation.
Some examples of damaging construction factors:
It is imperative that the building industry takes responsibility for their own actions and the natural environment, as interior designers alone cannot change everything for the better. Without firm ‘eco regulations’ each company is left to decide on their eco preferences.
Environmentally friendly construction methods, materials and resources need to be used as standard during the entire building process. Emissions, pollution and waste need to be reduced across the industry with an increase in design for reuse, remanufacture and recycling.
Climate ChangeThe most important and urgent issue facing the modern world. Global climates are changing unnaturally through increasing manmade activities. Over time there has been a gradual increase in the earth’s temperature known as global warming and the greenhouse effect. Our warmth comes from the sun through constant heating of the earth which is absorbed by trapped gases in our atmosphere.
Greenhouse gases are a combination of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, halocarbons and water vapour. The man-made industrial age with the increase of trade, introduction of machinery and mass production caused a rise in emissions, in particular carbon dioxide and fluorocarbons. This growing amount of emissions has increased the earth’s temperature leading to climate change.
If we continue to increase in population, the built environment and the amount of energy we use – the carbon levels will naturally become higher and more dangerous.
Buildings and climate change - The futureAre we too late to try and stop the damage to the earth? One statistic suggests that to stabilise climate change, we would need to globally reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 70%. Easily done if we just stop all carbon emissions right now? Not quite that easy as by nature carbon dioxide takes approx. 100 years to disperse, which means that current emissions will be around for a long time to come. The knock on effects of all of our actions today, won’t be felt until after you have died by generations ahead of use.
In effect your children's children's children will be combating the emissions caused by you in the 21st century. Within your lifetime you have a responsibility to reduce your own ecological footprint whether by small or large lifestyle changes so that you become an earth giver rather than an earth taker. The debate on whether it is too late to make a difference or not continues.
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Globally, the temperature increase has caused a rise in sea levels, a reduction in snow cover, high levels of rainfall and an increased number of droughts. Climates are becoming more aggressive in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere. The rate at which carbon emissions are created will have an effect in the future. 
