Ask any environmentalist, and they will tell you that global warming is one of the most pressing issues our society faces today. The greenhouse gas emissions that cause this environmental destruction, although, are connected to essential human actions, such as manufacturing, transportation, and construction.
At this point, it would be impossible for society to eliminate these sources of greenhouse gas emissions completely. But we can still find alternatives that help reduce some of the effects of these sources.
“When people look at greenhouse gas emissions in major cities, they often point to more outwardly-visible producers — such as vehicle traffic and factories — as the main culprits,” explains Tim Sperry, CEO of climate tech company Carbon Limit. “However, there is one contributor to greenhouse gas emissions that is often overlooked, yet has one of the most significant impacts on global warming than any other single factor: concrete.”
The Environmental Catastrophe Caused by Concrete
Understandably, concrete is a significant contributor to global warming because it is the culmination of a series of processes that each cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions. First, the cement is produced in large quantities by a factory, creating considerable amounts of exhaust. Then, it is transported via vehicles that burn fossil fuels, and mixed and dispensed by heavy machinery that also consumes fossil fuels. “Given the amount of concrete produced and used annually, this is a factor that must be taken into account when trying to find ways to combat global warming,” Sperry asserts.
Yet, this is only one of concrete’s environmentally destructive properties. Concrete is not biodegradable and is known to last in landfills for as long as 10,000 years. Still, few alternatives to concrete have the same properties of durability and strength, while also being relatively inexpensive. For too long, the construction industry has sacrificed environmental consciousness because there was nothing else they could use.
Some alternative solutions, such as recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), have long been proposed and utilized, but they are hardly a one-for-one replacement for traditional concrete. While these options are an improvement over conventional concrete for the environment, they lack the durability necessary to be a legitimate building solution. However, one innovator at the forefront of the field is developing a viable cement alternative via the process of decarbonization in order to mitigate the environmental impact of concrete.
Finding an Effective Concrete Alternative
Decarbonization is a process by which the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is captured and, therefore, significantly reduced. Trees and other natural vegetation have a significant role in sequestering carbon dioxide and countering some of the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions, but emissions resulting from human activity have reached such a substantial level that natural means of sequestration are no longer enough. Now, it is up to technological innovators to discover and develop an effective solution.
Carbon Limit is a climate tech company that has developed a new cement alternative with the same qualities of reliability and stability as traditional cement-based concrete, but has significantly less environmental impact. Carbon Limit’s innovative technology acts as a sponge for CO2 in the atmosphere, absorbing it from the air and storing it in a solid form in the cement, preventing it from causing environmental destruction.
Although some of the damages already caused by global warming are irreversible, technologies like Carbon Limit are working to mitigate some of the effects and, more importantly, prevent them from worsening. Every day, more green space in cities is being lost to urban development, and more trees that could sequester carbon dioxide are being chopped down and replaced with cement that doesn’t. With Carbon Limit, cities can still grow and expand while minimizing the environmental impact caused by urban development.
Large areas of natural vegetation, like jungles, can sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With its concrete technology that can absorb and store CO2 from the air around it, Carbon Limit is giving a new definition to the idea of an urban concrete jungle. “By investing in this new climate tech, cities can ensure they are ahead of the pack in protecting and preserving their own ecosystem for generations to come,” Sperry says.
