DISCUSSION QUESTION. No.

One issue that presents itself as a common problem to all the nations of the
world and indeed the global community is the issue of global
warming. Global warming is a process whereby the earths surface gets
warmer over a period of time due to the emission of greenhouse gases (e.g.
carbon dioxide). Over the past years, the issue of global warming has been
the main issue of global discourse and it is the main reason for the urgent
need of sustainable development. Strong scientific evidence has revealed
that the release of greenhouse gases e.g. CO2 into the atmosphere by
human activity is the primary cause of global warming (Frich et al., 2002).
The activities of the construction industry make use of almost half of all the
natural resources and also the through the manufacturing of materials and
operation of the building, the activities lead to numerous environmental
problems such as pollution, dust, production of waste, destruction of natural
habitats, noise and hazardous contamination (Berge, 2003; Griffith, 1994).
The activities carried out by the construction industry are a major contributor
to carbon emissions (Roaf et al., 2004). The carbon emissions which result in
global warming poses threats on the environment, people and the economy
and some of the impacts are already being witnessed globally (Traynor,
2008; Sawin, 2005).
Sustainable development can be defined as a development that meets the
needs of others without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs (WCED, 1987). Climate change which is as a result of
global warming is the main reason for sustainable development. Sustainable
development helps to reduce the risk to the environment posed by climate
change and also to improve the health and safety of human and animal life
while encouraging economic and social growth.
Today, sustainable construction which is an important component of
achieving sustainable development has been implemented in the
construction industry. Most importantly, sustainable construction has helped
to promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere
thereby reducing the impact of climate change. Sustainable construction has
led to the reduction in waste and pollution which helps to improve the quality
of life of people. The most important factors that affect productivity at work
are indoor air quality and comfort.
Also, other aspects of sustainable construction such as waste reduction,
energy efficiency and pollution prevention make economic sense because it
has led to cost savings, profitability and increased efficiency for the global
construction industry. The increase in energy efficiency through sustainable
construction has also brought about reduction in energy costs. For example,

a sustainable building uses 50-70% less energy than a typical building.

Selection of good quality building components with low energy content;
energy efficiency; water efficiency savings and mechanical equipment
downsizing has also helped to reduce life cycle costs and operational costs in
buildings.
For example, sustainable construction is currently being implemented in
various regions across Canada. Examples of these projects include: the
Department of Natural Resources District Office Building in Bathurst, NB and
the Spring Creek fire hall in Whistler, BC. Also, in Australia, the concept of
sustainable construction has been promoted through the switch from new
buildings to adaptation of existing buildings (De Valence, 2004). In the UK,
several projects have incorporated the concept of sustainable construction
e.g. BedZED homes and offices. The BedZED development is highly energy
and water efficient and uses energy from renewable source. Also, majority of
the materials used to build the BedZED development were from local,
recycled sources.
Project managers in the construction industry are now beginning to
incorporate the concept of sustainability in construction projects by ensuring
that materials are sourced from sustainable sources, taking into
consideration the whole life cycle of the building while also ensuring that the
project is delivered to quality, time and cost while having very minimal
impact on the environment thereby reducing the effect each project has on
global warming. For example, the projects I work on require water saving
products to be used for all the plumbing fittings.
In all, the issue of global warming affects the global community as a whole
and the construction industry has a huge impact on this. However, the
current trend of sustainable construction has had a positive impact as it
helps to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases which cause global
warming.

REFERENCES
1.
Berge, B. (2003) The Ecology of Building Materials. Oxford: The
Architectural Press.
2.
De Valence, G. (2004) The Construction Sector System
Approach, CIB Publication No.293, CIB, Rotterdam.
3.
Frich, P., Alexander, L.V., Della-Marta, P., Gleason, B., Haylok, M.,
Klein Tank, A.M.G. & Peterson, T. (2002) Observed coherent changes in
climatic extremes during the second half of the twentieth century,
Climate Research, vol. 19, pp. 193-212.
4.
Griffith, A. (1994) Environmental Management in Construction.
London: The MacMillan Press Ltd.

5.
Roaf, S., Crichton, D. & Nicol, F. (2004) Adapting buildings and
cities for climate change. Oxford: Architectural Press.
6.
Sawin, J.L. (2005) Climate change poses greater security threat
than
terrorism,
Worldwatch
Institute.
[Online].
Available
at:http://www.worldwatch.org/node/77 (Accessed: 7 February 2013).
7.
Traynor, I. (2008), EU told to prepare for flood of climate change
migrants, The Guardian Newspaper. 10 March [Online]. Available
at:http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/10/climatechange
.eu (Accessed: 7 February 2013).
8.
World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)
(1987) Our Common Future, Oxford: Oxford University Press.