The carbon costs of the construction industry

When it comes to climate change, it’s easy to believe that the burning of fossil fuels is mainly responsible for high global carbon emissions. We’re told we need to drive less, fly less and generally rely less on the non-renewable energy sources that have sustained our society’s way of life for over a century.

However, the reality is that half of current carbon emissions come from the mining industry, with the emissions from extracting non-metallic minerals (think sand, clay and gravel) trending upwards over the past 15 years. In fact, demand for concrete is so high that the sand used for it is running out.

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