What Are the Consequences of Climate Change for the Construction Industry?
Climate changes touch all areas of our lives, including where we live, work and socialize. You need only watch the nightly news that routinely describes how natural disasters and extreme temperatures are destroying any number of structures while making others uninhabitable, resulting in staggering personal and economic loss.
And what about its effect on the construction industry? As a leading example, research shows that each year, adverse weather events (such as flooding and snowfall) delay 45 percent of construction projects worldwide, costing billions of dollars in added expenses and lost revenue.
By way of another case in point, construction firms may encounter climate change-related experiences in their supply chains. Damage from physical risk events to suppliers’ locations, public infrastructure and transportation networks can all lead to long delays and impact business revenue and delivery schedules.
Construction is a major contributor to climate change
Ironically, the construction industry itself is a chief contributor to the causes of climate change. Did you know that worldwide the construction industry produces roughly half of all carbon emissions, and in the United States, about 40 percent? This considers emissions directly created by the construction industry, including those from machinery used on construction sites, as well as emissions throughout the operational phase of a building’s lifecycle.
This operational phase of a building – when it’s in use – is accountable for significant emissions. The building you call home, or the one you call your office, the building you are sitting in at this very instant, all have an enormous effect on the environment. From heating and cooling to lighting, insulation and more, each small home, medium warehouse and large high-rise office building is guilty of emitting operational carbon into the atmosphere. Yes, these emissions have witnessed years of innovation to mitigate some of their dreadful environmental impacts, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement
The problem is, one other important piece of the sustainable building puzzle, embodied carbon, is greatly ignored. Embodied carbon is operational carbon’s often-overlooked counterpart: it’s the footprint that stems from the building and construction of a project, comprising the extraction, fabrication, transportation and erection of our construction materials.
These emissions stem from energy-intensive production processes of raw materials including cement, steel, glass as well as moving these materials and equipment to construction sites.
As the prime example, the cement industry produces about 1.5 billion tons of cement each year worldwide. The manufacture of this cement is a greenhouse gas emissions-intensive process that requires vast amounts of thermal energy to heat the materials essential to produce cement. The industry emits almost 900 kg of CO2 for every 1000 kg of cement produced.
If the cement industry were a nation, it would rank as the world’s third largest emitter of carbon dioxide, following the U.S. and China!
Impact on Construction projects
The adverse impacts of climate change may differ, but the results on construction projects can be sizeable. Here are just a few of the more key impacts.
Materials
Climate change is impacting the need for stronger and more durable materials. Buildings will have to stand up to a variety of weather conditions. As a result, when creating a budget, construction companies will have to consider the increased need for tougher and more robust materials and the growing costs associated with such materials.
Likewise, climate change also impacts the availability in addition to the cost of construction materials. Natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods interrupt supply chains, leading to a scarcity of materials and associated price hikes. The global supply chain crisis that took place in 2021, propelled in part by severe weather, gave rise to significant delays and increased costs for even basic materials including timber and steel.
Buildings
Buildings can be susceptible to climate change. In the future, there will most likely be an increase in the danger of collapse, significant loss of value as a result of more storms, snow or subsidence damage, water encroachment, worsening indoor climate and a reduction in a building’s lifespan.
Equipment
Uncommon weather conditions can severely impact construction equipment. Extreme heat, as just one example, can lower the effectiveness of sealants and adhesives, while a hefty amount of rainfall can postpone projects and even damage essential machinery.
Time
Climate change will make it more difficult to properly time construction projects. Erratic weather occurrences may postpone projects or even mess up any work in progress. Contracts may even be required to incorporate conditions for re-scheduling and the plan in place when there are delays and extensions, since it will be tougher to forecast how long a project will take. The instability linked with scheduling projects could also impact the cost of a project, postponements can even result in additional costs. Moreover, climate change-related weather can muck up a project leading to the need to re-do certain pieces of the project.
Safety Concerns
Safety is one of the most critical components of construction and it will become an even bigger issue as climate change continues. We’ve all seen the destructive effects that floods have caused from the eastern U.S. to the west coast and practically every place in between. Weather events related to climate change can bring about a variety of devastating results. In response, most likely, governmental regulations for buildings will grow to defend residents from these ever-growing random weather episodes. As such, construction companies will need to be ready to meet such policy changes.
On the other hand, the construction industry is extremely reliant on skilled labor. If dangerous weather events make workers feel uncomfortable or it appears unsafe, a project could be postponed or possibly stopped entirely.
Moreover, extreme heat, excessive winds and radical weather events add to the risk of workers facing health problems and injuries, leading to added worker compensation claims and project postponements.
In addition, such weather circumstances can also lead to unexpected delays, contract grievances and litigation that boosts the cost of insurance.
So, what is being done and what needs to be done?
Green building practices
The construction industry is incorporating sustainable or “green” practices that point to a reduced environmental impact. This comprises energy-efficient design and building processes, including the use of renewable energy supplies and employing sustainable or recycled materials as discussed below.
Materials sourcing and waste reduction
Fine-tuning how construction materials and methods are used could produce long-term and encouraging results for the environment. In some cases, as might be expected, builders may encounter greater up-front costs or logistical concerns. Finding those right supplies takes time and the meaning of what really constitutes a building material or method as “green” is still up for discussion. As the industry works toward climate resilience, construction management is looking at ways to balance the pros and cons of these newer materials and methods.
Material sourcing indicates the process of selecting materials that are environmentally friendly and sustainable. This can involve using materials that are recycled, locally sourced or made from renewable resources. For example, using recycled steel rather than new steel can appreciably slash the amount of energy and resources required to produce the material.
Another example is timber. When harvested correctly, timber is a renewable supply that can function as a “carbon sink”, soaking up CO2 from the atmosphere. Employing timber in construction lessens dependence on carbon-intensive materials including steel and concrete and adds to carbon sequestration, causing a win-win condition for reducing greenhouse gases.
Waste reduction is another crucial feature of sustainability. This involves shrinking the quantity of waste created during the construction process through practices including recycling, reusing materials and reducing packaging waste. For example, using reusable containers in place of disposable packaging can considerably cut waste.
The Green Building Initiative (GBI) helps individuals and companies implement environmental, sustainable, non-toxic and eco-friendlier construction procedures. GBI’s mission is “to reduce climate impacts by improving the built environment through education, standards and assessments developed by an inclusive and collaborative global network.”
The commitment of the initiative is to boost overall acceptance of the advantages of building more structures with non-toxic materials. In addition to the environmental paybacks, GBI also fosters economic growth and stability by endorsing a cut back im construction wase and energy usage.
Equipment
As a prime example in this category, converting to electrically powered construction equipment can radically trim greenhouse gas emissions, getting rid of the direct emissions of diesel and gasoline-powered machinery. Electrification of equipment, when combined with renewable energy sources, provides a clean substituted to established fossil fuel-dependent machinery, thus lowering emissions
Technological innovations
New technologies are being employed to help shrink the sector’s environmental impact. This includes Building Information Modeling (BIM) for enhanced planning and resource management, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve building design for better energy efficiency.
Not all construction components need to be cut down, refined or manufactured. These processes are often inefficient, but in some instances, 3D printing can offer a greener solution. Printing structural components for buildings locally can also ease up on shipping costs and the related fuel consumption.
The use of 3D printing has gained a foothold in the construction industry and will no doubt expand.
Building codes and standards
Another leading concern is the strengthening of building codes and standards linked to the mitigation of the effects of climate change. Many municipalities are going along with New York City by settling on demanding targets for reducing carbon emissions in both new construction and current buildings. Older buildings will also demand upgrades and securing these new construction projects will mean that contractors will have to employ green building practices
Contractors that achieve these proficiencies will be in the best situation to expand their business by retrofitting buildings with energy-efficient improvements, defending themselves and their clients from the harmful effects of climate change. They will most likely be viewed approvingly by the surety bond guarantors for the essential performance bonds.
Safeguarding against extreme weather conditions
Although carrying out green construction practices is imperative, as mentioned above, the safety of your construction crew needs to be priority #1, particularly since the effects of climate change won’t improve overnight.
An effective construction site action plan for emergencies begins with everyone’s recognizing the risks and dangers that are present on a project site, and then identifying procedures to surmount them. It should be a thorough, written plan that plainly describes everyone’s roles and what they’re required to do in the case of an emergency.
Be sure to keep a copy of the plan in several visible locations throughout the site.
Lobbying efforts
Finally, construction industry leaders and lobbyists employed by the industry need to contact their members of Congress as well as state legislators and local government officials to support legislation to reduce the impact of climate change on the built environment. For example:
- Governments can incentivize and require less greenhouse gas emissions, subsidize zero carbon industrial processes and make certain that infrastructure is constructed to survive future climate change.
- Governments can invest in renewable infrastructures, including wind farms and solar energy.
- Governments can carry out nature-based solutions to enhance air quality, improve biodiversity and restore the natural water cycle.
- Governments can prop up the delivery of green energy and employ efficient spatial planning to affect greenhouse gas emissions.
Concluding thoughts
There is no going back. That needs to be the mantra of the construction industry as it moves forward. If you’re concerned about the impact of climate change on current or future projects, don’t hesitate to give the professionals at PDDM Solutions a call. We’re happy to discuss the intricacies of climate change and its effects on construction.
