Sustainability Challenges and Solutions in the Construction Sector CSM4001

Sustainability-Related Challenges in the Construction Sector and Solutions

Construction represents a key central role in dealing with issues related to sustainability, especially those concerning the degradation of the environment. Besides, construction supports broad international efforts, such as the SDGs. This paper explores some of the severe sustainability issues that occur in the construction industry and discusses possible solutions through six scholarly sources that have brought out critical concerns including greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption footprints, and impacts on biodiversity.

1. Environmental Degradation from Construction Activities

Construction practices have a multitude of ecological impacts that are significant current concerns. According to Tunji-Olayeni et al. (2019), construction activities contribute significantly to violating planetary limits, including human-induced climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and changing nitrogen cycles. With the increasing number of construction projects in metropolitan areas, degenerative disproportion, and resource depletion are increased; thus, sustainable methods should be adopted by the industry in curbing this impact.

Addressing the Challenge: The construction industry should adopt sustainable design principles. These include resource efficiency, environmentally friendly technologies, energy-conserving building designs, renewable materials, and minimizing waste, all of which contribute to mitigating the ecological footprint of the industry (Tunji-Olayeni et al., 2019). Strict environmental regulations also further enable keeping tabs on the ecological impacts related to construction projects.

2. High Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Building Construction

An important one is related to massive emissions of greenhouse gases associated with buildings. Rck et al. (2020) argue that, for building materials, the related carbon emissions are often overlooked as an insidious barrier to effective mitigation of climate change in buildings. Although operational emissions of buildings have decreased due to better energy efficiency, the embedded emissions in material production, transportation, and construction have remained abnormally high.

Addressing the Challenge: An approach toward this problem is life cycle assessment (LCA), which includes not only material extraction but also the demolition phase. The best remedy for managing such high embodied emissions through the construction process is, according to Rck et al. (2020), low-carbon materials; that is, recycled, bio-based products, and the principle of circular economy in the construction industry. Policies that reward the use of such materials will help accelerate the transition of the construction sector to lower GHG emissions.

3. Water and Energy Footprints in Construction

Water and energy consumption are some of the most significant issues in the construction sector. As stated by Pomponi and Stephen (2021, significant amounts of water and energy consumed during construction activity exacerbate environmental issues in developed and developing economies. The use of potable water and energy is critical at various stages of construction, further depleting resources and causing ecological losses.

Addressing the Challenge: Sustainable construction practices, such as water-recycling systems, energy-efficient technology, and renewables like solar and wind in construction that could give the sector significant opportunities to reduce substantially its water and energy use (Pomponi & Stephen, 2021). Similarly, such sustainable practices would be incorporated at the project design and planning level to ensure that the lifecycle of buildings is based on the optimal use of water and energy.

4. Circular Economy Barriers in the Building Sector

The adoption of a circular economy that supports reusable, recyclable, and waste-reduced principles is believed to present both opportunities and challenges for the construction industry. According to Bilal et al. (2020), among other barriers, there is an array of regulatory and procedural impediments to adopting the principles of circular economies into the building sector, ignorance, and limited availability of sustainable materials to name but a few. As such, these challenges hinder the sector's advancement toward a resource-efficient and sustainable framework.

Addressing the Challenge: Bilal et al. (2020) argued that developing comprehensive regulatory systems becomes a necessity to promote circular economy activities through waste reduction and improvement in recycling activities of materials. Moreover, awareness promotion and equal access to sustainable construction materials could activate even more such practices. Cooperation between governmental organizations, building companies, and supply chains will be the critical enablers to overcome the challenges and make the circular economy a reality for construction.

5. Biodiversity Impacts of Construction Projects

Biodiversity loss is one of the major sustainability issues related to construction. The large-scale infrastructure projects that have been associated with the Belt and Road Initiative, for instance, draw sensitivities toward the potential impacts on biodiversity. According to Narain et al. (2020), biodiversity protection should be more robust for construction, especially concerning projects sponsored by international investors.

Addressing the Challenge: The mainstreaming of biodiversity best-practice safeguards will minimize the adverse effects of construction on the ecosystems. Narain et al. (2020) add that biodiversity should be featured in the planning and financing stages of projects so that there is no infrastructure activity construction leading to permanent loss of biodiversity. Environmental strictures can be erected for large infrastructure projects so that sensitive ecosystems are preserved and sustainable development is fostered.

6. Role of the Construction Industry in Achieving SDGs

The construction sector is helping in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As outlined by Fei et al. (2021), the industry will significantly contribute to this as its activities involve the implementation of projects for the public good. Nevertheless, there is still a looming tension between economic growth and environmental concerns when it comes to individual construction projects, especially in developing regions where financial gains appear to surpass all other sustainability issues.

Addressing the Challenge: Fei et al. (2021) suggest integrating sustainability benchmarks in the project assessment and development process to align the construction industry with the SDGs. This is necessary to highlight projects that benefit the social, economic, and environmental fronts but not at the cost of sacrificing sustainability to become the nucleus of construction methodologies. Governmental and international organizations can act as catalysts for such progress by bringing about policies supportive of sustainable construction and offering rewards for schemes aligned with the SDG.

Conclusion

This is because of a large number of issues regarding sustainability, like environmental degradation, high GHG emissions, significant water and energy footprints, the circular economy barrier, loss of biodiversity, and compliance with SDGs. Comprehensive solutions to such sustainability challenges would include sustainable material adoption, circular economy principles promotion, environmental regulation enforcement, and incorporation of biodiversity safeguards. With the adoption of such strategies, the construction industry will play a significant role in advancing global sustainability goals and mitigating its environmental impact.

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