Construction and the Built Environment
Construction and the Environment
Assignment One
The year 1992 and the Earth Summit ' in Rio de Janeiro marked a paradigm shift in the attitude of the governments of the world, as over 150 delegates attended and recognised the importance of ecological issues to the future of humanity. This was of great significance to the construction industry, as one of the greatest consumers, and producers, of our economic system.
Construction accounts for 40% of the total flow of raw materials into the global economy every year some 3 billion cubic tons. The industry accounts for approximately 9% of Global Gross Domestic Product and in England alone provides employment for around 1.5 million people ' (http://www.businessandbiodiversity.org/construction.html).
The new attitude explains the role of conservation legislation in the U.K. which, amongst other things, sets out the issues that must be considered at the planning stage of a new development.
Biodiversity The preservation of biodiversity is one of the most important features of the new approach to construction. Put simply, it is the range of different species that might inhabit a particular environment and the interconnections between them.
the variability among living organisms from all sources, including, 'inter alia ', terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems '
- definition adopted by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
Aside from the aesthetic appeals of biodiversity, there are a number of practical benefits. Historically, our food comes from a very limited selection of plants and animals but there is a great potential for increasing this range. Medical advances are often gained from drugs obtained from diverse plant species; similarly industry often harnesses new materials found in nature. Answers to the problems of
Assignment One
The year 1992 and the Earth Summit ' in Rio de Janeiro marked a paradigm shift in the attitude of the governments of the world, as over 150 delegates attended and recognised the importance of ecological issues to the future of humanity. This was of great significance to the construction industry, as one of the greatest consumers, and producers, of our economic system.
Construction accounts for 40% of the total flow of raw materials into the global economy every year some 3 billion cubic tons. The industry accounts for approximately 9% of Global Gross Domestic Product and in England alone provides employment for around 1.5 million people ' (http://www.businessandbiodiversity.org/construction.html).
The new attitude explains the role of conservation legislation in the U.K. which, amongst other things, sets out the issues that must be considered at the planning stage of a new development.
Biodiversity The preservation of biodiversity is one of the most important features of the new approach to construction. Put simply, it is the range of different species that might inhabit a particular environment and the interconnections between them.
the variability among living organisms from all sources, including, 'inter alia ', terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part: this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems '
- definition adopted by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
Aside from the aesthetic appeals of biodiversity, there are a number of practical benefits. Historically, our food comes from a very limited selection of plants and animals but there is a great potential for increasing this range. Medical advances are often gained from drugs obtained from diverse plant species; similarly industry often harnesses new materials found in nature. Answers to the problems of