I’m having some building works done at the moment and noticed that the bags of cement the builders are using include information on the carbon dioxide ‘footprint’on the bag. 20kg of Co2 for each 25kg bag of cement. I was really surprised (and felt a bit guilty)by this seemingly large amount of co2, especially when I think how many bags have been used just on my small extension.

You monster.

Plus the co2 from the transport, methane from your builders guffing etc. 🙂

Bear – Ive got a reasonably ‘polluting’ car which often attracts negative comments / feelings. The co2 emmissions from it probably pale into insignificance though when compare to the amount of c02 released from the cement ive just used though.

It’s well known – making cement is one of the worst things we do for creating CO2. Now take a look around any town or city and see how much concrete is used in building it…

Bear – Ive got a reasonably ‘polluting’ car which often attracts negative comments / feelings. The co2 emmissions from it probably pale into insignificance though when compare to the amount of c02 released from the cement ive just used though.

Yes but you have a very easy choice to make when you buy a car. It’s not so easy to choose how the buildings in which we work were built. And concrete may be one of the main sources, but transport is one of the other main sources.

EDIT Cement is one of the biggest single industries, but “only” 5% of global CO2 emissions: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/05/09/emissions-from-the-cement-industry/

So you’re the one we need to thank for the warm weather? Keep up the good work.

Mol – I work in civil engineering so have a direct input into how much concrete / cement is used in buildings / infrastructure as well. – I just didnt realise the co2 from cement was THAT bad. Whilst the industry is moving in the right direction, I still think there are many areas in development where huge volumes of concrete could be saved.

Oh and the car isn’t that bad because it sits on the drive most of the time

I still think there are many areas in development where huge volumes of concrete could be saved.

I hope so. Interesting to hear it from the practical side.

Oh and the car isn’t that bad because it sits on the drive most of the time

And, as a percentage, how much of the emissions associated with the car do you think went into manufacture and how much will be from driving it? (I used to use this justification when driving an older car with relatively poor fuel consumption)

One of my Grand Design pet hates. “Were building an eco home” “First we tear down this usable but ugly house then fill the hole with a hundred tonnes of concrete, you know, for the thermal mass and underfloor heating”

Think how much cement is used in the bases of all those wind turbines that are designed to reduce CO2 emissions….

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I susect that as the notice on the side of the bag of cement said ‘Carbon Footprint’ then that would imply it includes the total impact of that back of cement, so the manufacture of the cement, transportation of and the CO2 released when it is going off and setting.

Think how much cement is used in the bases of all those wind turbines that are designed to reduce CO2 emissions….

Crap argument, the turbine can become neutral or negative over its lifetime unlike fossil fuels.

Think how much cement is used in the bases of all those wind turbines that are designed to reduce CO2 emissions….

Compared to a coal power station, a building, a bridge…

And then there’s the steel rebars, and the bricks…

Quick fact time 😀

The building of the Hoover Dam generated more CO2 than modern day USA does now over a ten year period.

Horrible stuff and yet we seem to worship it.

Just as well the Colorado river basin is mostly arid desert at that point, had it been particularly temperate the methane generated by anaerobic decomposition would have been quite sizeable.