Posted on 12/17/2018 1:10:07 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Concrete is the most widely used man-made material in existence. It is second only to water as the most-consumed resource on the planet.
But, while cement - the key ingredient in concrete - has shaped much of our built environment, it also has a massive carbon footprint.
Cement is the source of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to think tank Chatham House.
If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world - behind China and the US. It contributes more CO2 than aviation fuel (2.5%) and is not far behind the global agriculture business (12%).
So, how did our love of concrete end up endangering the planet? And what can we do about it?
A mix of sand and gravel, a cement binder and water, concrete is so widely embraced by architects, developers and builders because it is a remarkably good construction material.
"It's affordable, you can produce it almost anywhere and it has all the right structural qualities that you want to build with for a durable building or for infrastructure," explains Felix Preston.
It is the process of making "clinker" - the key constituent of cement - that emits the largest amount of CO2 in cement-making.
What the industry really needs to do is plough efforts into producing new types of cement, he argues. In fact, low-carbon cements and "novel cements" might do away with the need for clinker altogether.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
We are at about 400ppm of CO2 up from around 350ppm so an increase of 50ppm.
I am not going to look up for the exact stats but....if I remember correctly, the first 20ppm of CO2 will absorb about 80% in heat of what CO2 would absorb at even higher saturated levels.
So anything above 20ppm would only have the potential of absorbing 20% more heat no matter how much more CO2 is added.
Additionally, we are at a historic low of CO2 and plants begin to die off at around 150-180ppm and lower.
Let me just add..... I hate Libtrads.
And is a pain in the you-know-what to shovel, too.
It’s simple. Tear out all the roads, demolish all cement structures, outlaw coal, gas & oil, outlaw cars, trucks, buses, planes, trains & boats, shutdown all factories, outlaw agriculture. Oh, yeah, and outlaw plastic.
When I first saw the header, I thought they were talking about Al Gore....
While it could be done, the first thing we need to do is have mechanical and structural engineers build such alternate concrete material structures and see if they can withstand not only weathering, but also severe stresses like earthquakes. I wonder could dried hemp be used for such a bonding material, now that it’[s legal to grow hemp for industrial use in the USA again?
I would think plain old sand might be the second most used resource. It is also used in concrete, plus glass and other things.
The Clintons need concrete...to hide the bodies.
We will be freer, more healthy, and the better off for it. We also can save the planet. The Great Spirit will certainly appreciate it.
You mean it’s not snowplow drivers or termites?
The largest producer of CO2 on this planet, BY FAR, is rotting vegetation in the rain forests...
LIBERALS: BULLDOZE THE RAINFORESTS!!!!
banning concrete would take us back to pre-Roman times 2,050 years to be safe, worse the Old Kingdom Egyptians likely know how to make polymers of stone. So lets go back 6,000 years to save the planet - its for the childrens !!!
Let’s see CO2 is a minor gas.....something like .4% of the entire atmosphere
i do eat a lot of concrete.
Actually, beer and carbonated beverages emit more co2 than portland cement concrete. The continuous distillation of all alcohol emits more co2 than portland cement concrete
10000 ppm = 1%
400 ppm = .04%
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