Raúl Lacruz Rodríguez, Civil and Territorial Engineering Student

Reducing European pollution levels: the goal of achieving a climate-neutral European Union by 2050, but is it really possible?

As individuals, we understand the carbon footprint to be the total volume of greenhouse gases produced by humans (again, us) as a result of economic or social activities. Currently, the most polluting sectors worldwide are: energy, fashion, food, transportation, and construction. When basing ourselves on the environmental impact and therefore the study of the carbon footprint of a sector, we must take into account the exact data of greenhouse gas emissions while supporting the implementation of effective measures for their subsequent reduction. All these indicators may seem like mere data without logical weight, but they are values that help us to handle the problem and take actions that generate a positive impact on the environment, knowing what we need to change and always being clear that change is the only solution.

The construction industry, traditionally regarded as one of the most crucial economic pillars, has also earned the dubious distinction of being one of the most polluting industries. The following statistics underscore this reality:

• Globally, construction consumes approximately 50% of natural resources, 40% of energy, and generates 50% of waste.
• An estimated two tons of raw materials are required for every square meter of constructed housing. Imagine you’re planning to build a new house. Building a 20- square-meter living room would necessitate over 40 tons of raw materials, including cement, sand, wood, steel, and other components. This material quantity may appear astounding to those unfamiliar with the construction process, but it highlights the vast amount of resources needed to complete such a project, even for a small portion of a house.
• The energy expended in manufacturing construction materials is equivalent to roughly one-third of the average household’s energy consumption over 50
  years. Consider building a new home. Before construction begins, you must acquire the necessary materials, such as wood, bricks, cement, and steel. What you might not realize is that the energy required to manufacture these materials is surprisingly high. To give you an idea, the energy used solely in producing these materials could equal the average family’s annual electricity consumption. This highlights the significant impact housing construction can have on resource and energy usage, even before the house is occupied or lived in.

To achieve this conversion towards zero emissions, it is necessary to emphasize the

rehabilitation of buildings instead of new construction, to bet on less polluting materials

along with local ones, thus avoiding emissions during transportation, and to optimize

waste management.

At the same time, I must emphasize the incredible work being done towards the

implementation of recycled materials in construction, an idea that is gradually gaining

more importance in the sector. These recycled materials come from a careful selection

among the waste generated during the construction process, such as concrete, ceramics,

stone, and mortar, which are the ones that generate the most waste. The materials

commonly recycled include wood, metal, glass, plastic, plaster, etc.

An example of how recycled plastic can be used in the construction process is by

incorporating it into the manufacturing of concrete. Instead of using only cement, sand,

gravel, and water to create conventional concrete, recycled plastic particles can be

added when mixing the ingredients. This material brings benefits in terms of its

mechanical properties, such as improvements in ductility, impact resistance, along with

an increase in its safety factor. This is because the application of these recycled plastic

particles prevents the high temperatures from causing explosions of the cement, which

may occur due to accidents such as car collisions.

These recycled plastic particles can come from various sources, such as plastic bottles, packaging, or even waste from manufacturing industries. They are crushed and mixed with the other components of concrete during the production process.

It’s logical to understand that reducing the carbon footprint of a process is costly, and not all companies can afford such expenses. Therefore, I believe it’s not an individual action but rather the responsibility of governments to provide financial assistance to achieve this goal. Currently, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge grants subsidies directly to members of the Third Sector, which comprises private non- profit entities. Regarding the promotion of housing rehabilitation, the government has implemented the National Integrated Plan for Economy and Climate 2021-2030, aimed at renovating homes. With an investment of €1 billion, this plan aims to build over 20,000 sustainable homes by 2026, starting from the current year. Additionally, financial aid will be provided for urban rehabilitation, with the aim of moving towards the goal of making the city carbon neutral by 2050.