An Analysis of the Impact of Increased Climate Change on Building Merchant Industry, Its Effect on the Marketplace and the Future Strategies of E.H. Smith Introduction One of the frightening environmental concerns is the build-up of carbon-dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere that has resulted from heavy use of fossil fuels. This carbon dioxide blankets traps the sun's radiation, which leads to an increase in the earth's average temperature. In the UK, climate change is likely to give rise to warmer temperatures, wetter winters and drier summers, as well as higher sea levels resulting in flooding of coastal areas (Boyd et al 1998). As an article (Habitat International 1995) states "the building industry, together with the materials industries which support it, is one of the major global exploiters of natural resources, both physical and biological". The department of trade and industry (DTI) says that just to maintain existing stock the industry "produces about half of UK carbon emissions and single biggest action is in improving energy efficient in new and existing stock". Buildings consume 40% of energy and produce 40% of CO2 emissions (DTI 2004) to reduce the high level of CO2. EU and UK government have introduced tougher energy efficiency standards, this will be felt by builders merchant; the latter stand to gain from an increase in demand for insulation materials but will also have to bear additional costs. The Key Impacts of building merchant industry on climate change are the cement sector alone accounts for 5% of global man-made CO2 emission (Piltz 2005), highest impact is the mining/manufacture of materials and chemicals, transport of heavy materials such as cement is energy-intensive, but most building materials tend to be sourced from close-by facilities. The chemical processes and use of fuel/electricity account for the major portion of the sector's CO2 emissions. The effect of CO2 emissions (climate change) on the UK Builders merchant industry and E H Smith Ltd The key impacts of climate change on Building industry; Weather related impacts: flooding, coastal erosion, subsidence, drainage systems require new building techniques and materials to withstand adverse weather conditions; influences the choice of site. Cost of finance/insurance: Insurance sector beginning to factor impacts of climate change into premiums. Sector has yet to put systems into place to discount climate-change related risk mitigation, but could be pushed to do so through building industry initiatives. Businesses will be interrupted from wetter winters (Kruse 2004) With the new sustainability approach in effect, it creates great opportunities for the builder's merchant industry.
Construction industry is one of the significant industries in Canada. The low interest rates in Canada fuelled the demand of housing, which brings the Canadian construction industry with a CAGR of 2% between 2008 and 2012 (Companies and Markets, 2013). The fact is that building construction has a considerable effect on the environment. It is a major consumer of raw materials, land and energy, as well as generates a mass of Greenhouse gas and other pollution (USA EPA, 2008). According to the data from Statistics Canada (2012), the construction sector produced 2.1% of total Canadian industrial sector’s GHG emissions in 2008. The purpose of this project is to convince the construction companies in Waterloo region to adapt feasible best practices for GHG emission reduction during construction process. Therefore, guidance for GHG emissions calculation and best practices should be determined firstly.
Climate change has been a major topic of debate in the UK over the recent years. The need to reduce the impact of CO2 and other Green House Gases (GHG) on the environment has pushed the UK Government to enact legislations (e.g. Climate Change Act 2008) and impose strict regulations on businesses to reduce emissions. These actions have forced businesses across a wide range of industrial sectors to rethink and rework their strategies of utilising energy, transport and land in an efficient manner, which in turn has lead to innovative and at the same time simple yet effective methods to reduce carbon emissions.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), carbon dioxide is the primary gas emitted through human activities and is the most important human contributed greenhouse gas (Overview of greenhouse, 2014). Carbon dioxide is naturally occurring in Earth’s atmosphere. The passing of carbon dioxide through the atmosphere, oceans, soil, plants, and animals is what is known as the carbon cycle. This carbon cycle is important to sustaining life here on Earth. Carbon dioxide is important to life on earth because it is the main component of many biological compounds, minerals, and exists in various forms in the atmosphere (Carbon Cycle, 2014). Humans are disrupting this carbon cycle however by adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and by removing natural absorbers of carbon dioxide, like forests to remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This is where the greenhouse effect comes into play, since the industrial revolution there has been an increase in the human-related emission of carbon dioxide mainly due to the burning or combustion of fossil fuels for energy. Other contributors include certain industrial processes, the differen...
PESTEL analysis factors apply to Bryant homes as follows; Political: the UK government policy directives, planning and environmental issues including sustainability affect the construction industry quite a lot. In the economical sector the economy’s health and interest rates affect demand for the commercial and the residential property, furthermore the taxation in the UK is used as a mean to encourage improving environmental performance; In addition to all this we can also add that as an economical factor the amounts of money that are needed for advertising the company’s products and services this action helps the company’s clients to understand how the company works. Also the construction industry in the UK is increasingly interested in whole life costs of the building, which includes initial capital costs and operating/maintenance costs. As far as the social factor goes changes in the birth divorce rates and the average number of people living in a household affect the demand of housing. Also we can take into consideration that there was a perception that the company’s builders had a tendency to dictate what the customers needed and had rat...
Young, Barbara. “Global Warming: An Issue Facing the Industry.” National Provisioner, vol. 222, no. 10, 2008, pp. 8. MasterFILE Premier, http://ez2.maricopa.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=34706229&site=ehost-live. Accessed 24 September 2016.
Richard, T. (2009). The Economic Effects of Climate Change. Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 26(2), 29-56.
America’s per capita emission of heat-trapping gases is 21 tons. (“Ten Personal Solutions”) This is four times the global average and it is twice the standard living in similar countries, like France and Japan. This does not mean we should make drastic changes to show improvements. Making smart choices and understanding the areas that produce the most carbon emission, will show impact in reducing global warming. Transportation produces 30 percent of all U.S. global emission. Cars emit 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. To reduce the amount of carbon dioxide being released, use cleaner fuels. Cleaner fuels produce fewer emission when being burn, like cellulosic biofuels. Cellulosic biofuels are alternatives that are produced from wood, grass, and inedible parts from a plant. Cellulosic biofuels can reduce emissions by 80 percent. (“Cars and Global Warming”) Another way to lower carbon emission is to upgrade infrastructures. According to David Biello, writer of the article, “10 Solutions for Climate Change,” wrote, “Buildings worldwide contribute around one third of all greenhouse gas emissions (43 percent in the U.S. alone).” (Biello) Investing thicker insulation can be money saving, but it is a long run because electric grids are in capacity tend to overload and the demand for power continues to rise. It takes a lot of cement, a source of greenhouse emission, to build buildings. The U.S. alone, releases 50.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2005 from cement production. (Biello) However, with energy-efficient buildings and an improved alternative of making cement, it can reduce greenhouse
Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, are not the only way people raise the climate. Ever since the industrial age, global climate change has been on the rise. Industrial factories are constantly burning fossil fuels and increasing the carbon in the atmosphere. The amount of greenhouse gases that are built up in the atmosphere has sped up the natural greenhouse effect the Earth has. The greenhouse effect is, “trapping of the sun 's warmth in a planet 's lower atmosphere due to the greater transparency of the atmosphere to visible radiation from the sun than to infrared radiation emitted from the planet 's surface”. Because of the constant pollution that humans keep making, the greenhouse effect is happening faster than usual.
The emission of green house gasses due to human activity contributes the most in increasing global warming. Today, fossil fuels are used as a source of energy for transportation, electricity, industrial process and to increase human comfort in this era. Over the last decade humans have created mass amount of industries. These industries have been burning fossil fuels such as coal, which release carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide; carbon dioxide absorbs heat that raises the temperature of the earth. More than 80% of carbon dioxide comes from tr...
The climate is changing dramatically nowadays to a point that it has affected the world economy. This is due to the significant increase in human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels which are coal, oil and natural gases, agriculture activities, and deforestation (Australian Government n.d.). Therefore solutions to the climate change are needed in order to bring economic benefits.
The use of green materials is better for the environment because they have a positive impact on the planet. Looking at our environment today we see a place that has been facing a massive climate change. Scientists have been concerned over global warming for decades. The ongoing increase of the earth’s temperature is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect (“Global Warming” 27). Building with green materials produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emission. Specifically, wood as a material for building products, requires considerably less energy than other building products such as steel and concrete. Wood product manufacture results in fewer greenhouse gas and other air-polluting emissions (“Green Building Benefits”). Green building also results in waste reduction. In the United States, construction and demolition creates a huge amount of solid waste. Green building limits the waste prod...
Climate change in the market is known as an extremely large negative externality, and if left to market forces, ignoring the external costs of greenhouse gases will generate an over production and consumption of products
The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.
One of the major issues in today’s society is Global warming. It is one of many kinds of climate that the Earth goes through. The primary cause of global warming is the human expansion of the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases keep the earth warm through a process called greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gases like Carbon dioxide trap heat from the atmosphere and maintain the soil warm. Without greenhouse gases, our planet would be too cold. However, people are adding extra greenhouse gases when they’re driving, using electricity, and in a factory. A lot of energy comes from fossil fuels. According to Environmental Protection Agency, the earth’s temperature has increased by 0.8 degree Celsius over the past century. More than half of this grew
Transportation sectors like cars, airplanes, motorcycles, and equipment with engines produce carbon dioxide which affects the atmosphere. The number one contributor of carbon dioxide gas to the atmosphere is fossil fuels. According to the World Watch Institute, humans has increased the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. The increases rate of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is around 3.8 yearly (Global Fossil Fuel Consumption Surges). According to an UN report, humans have had an influence on climate change and global warming since the mid- twentieth century. Scientists concluded in the report that the increase of gas emissions is one of the main priority causes of climate change. With that conclusion, they predict the probability of mankind producing climate change is from 95 to 100 percent (UNRIC). Meanwhile nature changes on earth at a steady pace, the heat trapping emissions, also known as greenhouse gases, increasing which causes warming up on the earth as year’s progress. The increase of the greenhouse gases may cause human civilization to experienced hot temperature never