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The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions. Construction sites are responsible for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions, with the construction phase representing the second largest share of emissions in a building’s lifecycle.
In response to this issue, there has been a growing interest in implementing zero-emission construction practices. Zero-emission construction sites are those that produce no harmful emissions during construction activities.
<aside> 💚 Zero-emissions construction sites (ZECS) contribute to lower the embodied carbon footprint of a building.
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The first step towards achieving zero-emission construction sites is to reduce the amount of energy consumed. This can be achieved through the use of energy-efficient equipment and tools. For instance, construction workers can use electric-powered equipment instead of fossil fuel-powered ones. This has multiple benefits, both for the workers’ and citizens’ health and comfort, with the reduction of localised pollution and noise, among others.
For this to be implemented, it is useful for both public procurers and contractors to know which emission-free construction equipment is in the market, and what is coming.
Bellona has created a database of zero-emission construction machinery:
Database: Emission-free Construction Equipment (by product type) - Bellona.org
The City of Oslo is actively working towards reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. One of the main focus of its “Climate and Energy Strategy” in on ZECS. The goal is to define a zero-emissions standard for tender specifications of public projects. This encourages an increased supply of technologies and services from market actors, while driving decarbonisation.
This programme is well underway, and other cities (both in Norway and in the EU) are looking up to Oslo to implement similar measures.