According to the European Commission, the construction sector is responsible for over 35% of the EU’s total waste generation.
The greenhouse gas emissions from material extraction and the manufacturing of construction products, as well as the construction and renovation of buildings, are estimated to produce 5-12% of total national GHG emissions.
“The global construction sector has doubled its carbon footprint in the last three decades and is set to double it again by 2050,” Dr. Subhra Bhattacharjee told Euronews.
But with more than two million homes needing to be built every year across the bloc to meet current demand — a 25% increase on current construction — how do we balance ever-growing urban spaces with our environmental targets?
In this episode of The Big Question, Dr. Bhattacharjee, director general of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) joined Angela Barnes in the studio to discuss whether Europe can scale up its sustainable timber industry and achieve its construction goals.
