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Figure 1.6 Emissions by world region
from Sustainable Design
by generaskopje
percent in the last 100 years. Glaciers in the Himalaya are melting so fast that scientists predict that they could disappear in only 15 years from now. Arctic sea ice has declined by about 10 percent in the past 30 years. Land areas generally warm up twice as much than the ocean7, but even at a slower pace the oceans` warming is a potential disaster for the ocean life.
It is estimated that one million species are at risk of extinction over the next decade[3].
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The melting ice has caused raising average global sea level between 10 and 20 centimeters in the past hundred years and it's only the beginning. Large part of the humanity lives close to the coasts. More than a hundred million people worldwide live within a meter of mean sea level, while 40% of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers. On the map we can see in the regions marked in red the coastal areas with more than 70 million inhabitants. The continuous rise of the sea levels will instigate chain reaction, causing migrations, economic loss, social restructuring, natural damage and many unforeseen events.
Greenhouse gas emissions
A small number of countries contribute the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions. The top 10 emitters account for more than 68% of annual global GHGs. Most of them are countries with large population and economies which together account for over 50% of the global population and almost 60% of the world’s GDP. China being the largest emitter has 26% share in the global greenhouse gas emissions, followed by the United States at 13%, the European Union at 7.8% and India at 6.7%. From the 1990 levels, the global annual greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 41% and counting.
Figure 1.6Emissions by worldregion8
The greenhouse gasses, consist of CO2, methane and other heat absorbing gases. Carbon dioxide (CO2) comprises 74% of greenhouse gas emissions and is produced by burning fossil fuel, transportation etc. Other GHGs, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) make
7 http://berkeleyearth.org/global-temperature-report-for-2020/ 8 https://ourworldindata.org
up 17% and 6.2% of total greenhouse gas emissions, respectively, mostly from agriculture, waste treatment and gas flaring, while the fluorinated gases (HFCs, PFCs etc.) from industrial processes contribute to 2% of global emissions. These gases are much more potent than CO2 in terms their global warming potential, and often provide overlooked opportunities for mitigation. As an example, nitrous oxide is 310 times more harmful than CO2.
Unsustainable urbanization
Urbanization based on unsustainable practices means increased resource consumption, larger pressure on the environment, on the fresh water demand, on the infrastructure etc., all having detrimental consequences to all living forms on our planet.
Cities account for about 70% of global carbon emissions and more than 60% of resource
use.The rapid urbanization and population growth are outpacing the construction of adequate and affordable housing. On the other hand, cities are economic powerhouses creating up to 60% of the global GDP growth.
The rapid urbanization in the last decades has caused more than half of humanity to live in cities while it is forecast that approximately 70% of the world population will live in cities by 2050 , which is more than 6.5 billion people. Also, it is expected that 90-95% of the urban expansion in the next three decades will take place in the developing world. It is estimated that the buildings floor area worldwide will increase by 75% between 2020 and 2050, mostly in the developing economies. That means that globally, floor area equivalent to the surface of the city of Paris is added every week up to 2050 .
Conventional buildings
The total energy consumption has the largest share of the total greenhouse gas emissions with 30.4%. Buildings contribute with 28% of the energy-related CO2 emissions and altogether with the construction industry (production of construction materials) comprise 38% of the total emissions[4]. In the EU the buildings are held responsible for approximately 40% of the final energy consumption.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings in the United States account for:
36% total energy use 65% total electricity use 12% total water use 30% total CO2 emissions 60% total non-industrial waste generated (from construction and demolition)
