Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change in the Construction Industry

Climate emergency: A critical view on how the construction industry
can mitigate the effects of climate change.

ABSTRACT
Climate change defines as a long term change within the condition of weather that
represents Earth global, regional and local climates. These changes are broad in nature that
impact mainly construction of a project. Changes in climate virtually impact overall economic
and natural system. It represent the interaction between land degradation, forests, chemicals,
water points which directly or indirectly affects construction project organisations. In this
construction project refers to a process of renovating, constructing, refurbishing and many more
are included that are useful to structure or infrastructure a building. This project dissertations is
based on specific topic which is related to how construction project mitigate the affect of climate
change and for completing this dissertations investigator use the various resources such as
human resources, financial resources, books, journals etc. so that it would present a successfully
results and helps in gaining knowledge of an investigator. Involving in this study reflects
detailed knowledge and information about specific topic. It also helps scholars to conduct same
research on particular topic in future perspective.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................................2
Research Topic: “Climate emergency: A critical view on how the construction industry can
mitigate the effects of climate change”............................................................................................5
Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................................5
1.1. Background to the study.......................................................................................................5
1.2. Rationale for selection of topic............................................................................................6
1.3. Research aim and objectives................................................................................................6
1.4. Research questions..............................................................................................................7
1.5. Scope and limitation.............................................................................................................7
Chapter 2: Literature Review ..........................................................................................................8
Impact of climate change on buildings and constructions..........................................................8
Ways to reduce the contribution to climate change in the Construction industry....................11
Strategies that the industry can adopt to reduce the costs of going green – make it more
attractive to go green.................................................................................................................13
Analysis of the way renewable materials used in construction can help in reducing the
environmental impact of construction.......................................................................................17
Chapter 3: Research Methodology ................................................................................................18
Chapter 4: Data analysis and interpretation...................................................................................23
Data analysis ............................................................................................................................23
Interpretation of collected data .................................................................................................26
Chapter 5: Communication and discussion of research findings ..................................................34
Chapter 6: Conclusion and Recommendation ...............................................................................39
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................39
Recommendation ......................................................................................................................40
Chapter 7: Reflection ....................................................................................................................41
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................44
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................47

Research Topic: “Climate emergency: A critical view on how the construction
industry can mitigate the effects of climate change”
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1. Background to the study
Climate change is referred as long-term change in an average pattern of weather that have
come to define global, regional and local climate of Earth(Ghosh, 2018).These alterations in
climate have a wide range of observed effects which are synonymous with term. The change in
climate maximizes the risk related to initiation of construction project cycle and can affect the
construction sector directly by climate and weather, but can also impact indirectly like side
programming, extra expense, material cost, delivery, labourers’ safety, delay etc. In this human
are the major part that will influence climate and overall earth temperature by cutting down the
farming livestock, rainforests and burning fossil fuels. In this climate emergency is referred to
that situation when frequent action is needed to reduce the damage that impact environment.
Climate emergency occur due to human activities such as high usage of fossil fuel, coal, gas etc.
that resultant major causes in climate. These causes may cause pollution in air and seas and for
this rapid changes are needed. Due to the changes occur in the climate several types of risk are
associated with operation a construction project cycle. Changes in climate such as earthquake,
weather changes and many more directly impact construction project. A construction project has
significant influence on the environment all over the world. Every aspect of the sector has some
measurable influence - from mining processes utilised for materials to the waste developed
through the project and the way it is disposed of. There is sufficient evidence showing that there
are significant changes in weather patterns and temperatures around the world that is posing
serious threats to the built environment and other aspects of our planet. This report is based on a
specific topic i.e. how construction industry can mitigate the effect of climate change. This helps
in understanding the topic successfully so that conclusion and analysis is to be drawn properly at
the end of the research (Gunningham, 2019). To conduct this research, researcher focused on
several aspects like literature review, research methodology, findings by using questionnaires
etc. These entire frameworks are very effective to conduct a research perfectly. Due to this
conclusion are drawn successfully at the end of dissertation. Conducting this research is highly
prominent for enhancing a knowledge and skills related to climate change and their effect on
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construction project along with in what manner construction project mitigate the affect of climate
change. This helps in conduction future research successfully and prominently.
1.2. Rationale for selection of topic
Rationale of research refers to reflecting a reason to conduct a particular research. By
conduct this research investigator gains the knowledge regarding particular topic so that justified
answer is to be presented in a significant manner. This study will critically investigate and
analyse how the construction industry can mitigate the effects of climate change. This study
proves to be significant as it assists in providing deep insights and knowledge on the topic. This
make the researcher able to study the overview of construction of buildings and infrastructure as
well as enable investigator to analyse various ways to reduce the contribution to change in
climate in the Construction industry (Tong and Ebi, 2019). Apart from this, it helps in assessing
the strategies that the construction sector can adopt to decrease the costs of going green.
Moreover, this project also determines different construction methods, services and materials
which will reduce the impact of buildings on the environment. Through this investigation, it will
be possible to perform further studies on the topic effectively and systematically. This study is
highly effective in assessing the way in which renewable materials are utilized in construction
and how these can assist in reducing the negative impact of construction onto the environment.
In addition, this study will provide a deeper understanding of the links between climate change
and the construction industry.
1.3. Research aim and objectives
Research aim
Research aim refers to intention of conducting a particular research by summarising in a
sentence. It helps researcher to conduct a research effectively and on time. The research aim is to
be written in a wide terms that and shows what was achieve in the end of the dissertations. The
main aim of current investigation is “To critically investigate and analyse how the
construction industry can mitigate the effects of climate change”.
Research objectives
Objectives of research is defines as a purpose of conducting a particular research. It helps
researcher to attain their targets effectively and efficiently. These objectives are the essential part
of conducting a research and attaining aim of the study that offers a pathway to investigator
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related to perform a task in a systematic manner (Salimi and Al-Ghamdi, 2020). The main
objectives which are reviewed and analysed through current investigation are listed below:
 To study the impact of climate change on buildings and constructions.
 To assess the ways to reduce the contribution to climate change in the Construction
industry.
 To identify the strategies that the industry can adopt to reduce the costs of going green –
making this optionmore attractive.
 To assess the way renewable materials used in construction can help in reducing the
environmental impact of construction.
1.4. Research questions
Research question defines those questions that are set by an investigator on specific project to
present an answer. It is very crucial element for conducting a whole research perfectly and
proficiently. For conducting this particular research several questions are to be reflected below as
per the aim of the project.
 How climate change influence on buildings and constructions?
 How can we reduce the contribution to climate change in the Construction industry?
 What can the industry do to reduce the costs of going green – making this option more
attractive?
 How the environmental impact of construction can be reducing by using renewable
materials?
1.5. Scope and limitation
The scope of the project is wider as it provides various advantages to the organisations
operating in construction sector. It also helps in gaining the knowledge about climate change that
affects the construction project. It is highly useful in future professional career. The findings
from this work will be able to be used in the future by construction professionals to minimise the
effect of the construction industry on climate change. At the time of conducting this research
several activities are to be included in which investigator faces several issues and limitations.
These limitations may impact negatively on the end results of the whole dissertation. In this
investigator adopts the use of questionnaire in which they face the limitation that questions are
not being effectively analysed due to lack of time and respondents hidden information, unethical
behaviour of chosen respondent etc. All these issues impact negatively on research activities
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(Yigitcanlar and et. al., 2019). At this time researcher play a important role to manage all these
limitations by using ethical practices and preparing Gantt chart, work break down structure etc.
so that time would be managed to do several activities in entire research. In this investigator also
support and listen respondent views related to particular topic so that reliable and viable
outcomes are presented at the end of the research.
Significance of research- It refers to a written statement that is useful to present benefits
of conducting a particular study. It elaborates the justification of implementing this study and
their impact of research field. It also reflects a contribution to new knowledge and in what
manner it is beneficial for other. To conduct this particular research on specific topic that is ‘how
construction industry can mitigate the effect of climate change’ helps in gaining the knowledge
related to climate and weather change and how it impact on construction industry. This also
helps in presenting the strategies related to mitigate the risk of climate change that is beneficial
for all construction companies. This research is useful in that and helps in enhancing the healthy
atmosphere.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Impact of climate change on buildings and constructions
As per the opinion presented by Ahmed, (2020), Climate is a complex phenomenon which
is continuously affected through the amount of radiation emitted by sun reflected back to space,
the amount reaches to ground, and the amount stays in atmosphere. A prominent role is played
by these climatic agents in the deterioration of the building fabric. Any change in climatic
conditions is expected to have critical effect on deterioration rate. When the greenhouse gases
increase the temperature on our planet, this causes ice and snow to melt. This leads to less
sunlight that is being reflected back to space, thus warming up the atmosphere (Crate and
Nuttall, 2016). Fossil fuels like natural gas, petroleum and coal originate from dead vegetation,
which over millions of years, become fossilised containing high percentage of carbon. In order to
warm houses, power factories and move the vehicles, fossil fuels are burnt. By doing so carbon
dioxide as well as other gases, which have been known to have an influence on global warming,
are released in the atmosphere (Tol, 2018)
As per the view point of Skullestad, Bohne, and Lohne, (2016), Construction and buildings
are responsible for around 39 % of carbon emissions all over the world, out of this 11 percent
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