9 / 172
Business View Australia - July 2015 9
It is estimated that world economic
activity will increase by 500% by 2050
and global manufacturing by 300%.
In fact, industrial production has been
growing steadily over the last few
decadesandwill continuetoexpand,with
the result that emission of greenhouse
gases will get stepped up and
accelerate the pace of global warming.
In these circumstances it is heartening
to note that changes in construction
materials and methods can have a very
positive effect by reducing emissions.
For example, it is estimated that 7% of
man-made carbon dioxide emissions
are due to the manufacture of cement.
A new technology pioneered in Australia
replacesthecalcium-baselimeingredient
that is traditionally found in Portland
cement with magnesia. This makes it
possible to kiln the cement at half the
normal temperature resulting in huge
energy savings and lower emissions.
The rapid development of solar
energy technology has resulted in the
increasing efficiency of photovoltaic (PV)
arrays and a sharp fall in prices. This
makes solar energy (PV) an extremely
attractive option. The construction
industry can play an important role in
popularizing solar energy by adopting
building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
inable
terials