The Building Sector: consumption, emissions, and recycling! 

Matt and Nick cover one topic today: the building sector.

The New York Times published a piece (final link below) about recycling office buildings to reduce the building sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. With the building sector accounting for nearly 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, reductions here could - and should - be a major consideration for reducing global emissions.

The guys get into the article, titled How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower, but first discuss why buildings consume so much energy, why they emit so many greenhouse gasses, and how recycling buildings and their components can offset some of this.

Source material:

• Understanding Building Emissions - Building Innovation Hub

• Growing building sector carbon emissions threaten 2050 net-zero goal, report warns | Utility Dive

• Construction industry accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions - EnvironmentJournal

• How buildings contribute to climate change - Curbed

• New Ways To Produce And Sell Cement Can Help Reduce Emissions And Build Brand Identity (forbes.com)

• How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower - The New York Times (nytimes.com)