How Green Buildings Can Be Used To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Uk

Introduction

The excessive greenhouse gas emissions of British buildings will be discussed in this essay, which led to the absence of relevant laws to regulate the climate change performance of UK buildings through design and technology. On March 28, 2013, the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change released a preliminary estimate of greenhouse gas emissions for 2012. In 2003, the British government issued an energy white paper, for the first time explicitly proposed the development of a 'low carbon economy. ' In order to promote the UK's transition to a low-carbon economy as quickly as possible, the UK government has set up a carbon trust fund to jointly finance the public sector, develop low-carbon technologies, and help organizations reduce carbon emissions. In the same year, the City of London issued “the Mayor's Climate Change Action Plan”. Formally adopted the Climate Change Act in 2008, becoming the first country in the world to establish a legally binding long-term framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change to achieve a low carbon city.

UK buildings

Buildings in the UK are not suitable for the future, as the carbon footprint of the building dominates. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the quality, design and use of housing in the UK to meet the challenges of climate change, we need to improve UK building technology. Doing so can improve health, health and comfort, including the elderly and vulnerable groups. According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2007), buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption. In addition to energy consumption, buildings also generate greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main cause of global warming. By 2035, the global carbon emissions of buildings will reach 42. 4 billion tons, an increase of 43% over 2007. And the carbon emissions of British buildings have been shrinking in recent years, but they still have a negative impact on people and society. In addition, the renovation of the building will involve the consumption of natural resources and energy; greenhouse gas emissions; noise and other pollutants. This study aims to critically examine research related to green buildings. This essay describes how green buildings can be realized by changing technology and design to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings.

The meaning of green building

Public awareness of green building is increasing, however, there has been a wide debate about what is green. Indeed, the lack of a clear definition of green building will present further challenges in promoting and implementing green building to achieve low-carbon cities.

Green building inspection tools

Today, many tools have been developed to assist in the development of green buildings, which are developed by the Green Building Council in various countries or regions. It is worth noting that green buildings in different countries are designed and built according to local climatic conditions to meet the needs of local people, so the criteria for evaluating these green buildings are different. There is also a broad research focus on developing new green rating tools to suit specific local contexts. Over the past few decades, there has been a growing interest in the social sustainability of buildings. This is because construction activities are a social process. In terms of construction, quality of life, occupational health, and safety are the main factors in social development, providing a healthy and safe environment for all those involved in personal interests.

Carbon emissions figures

However, the most important factor is the impact of the environment on the realization of green buildings. As we all know, carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas, accounting for about 83% of the total UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2011. In 2012, the UK's net carbon dioxide emissions were initially estimated at 479. 1 million tons. This is 4. 5% higher than the 2011 emissions of 458. 6 million tons. However, buildings account for almost 50% of total CO2 emissions, which is much higher than in transportation and industry. According to the figures, building is one of the most CO2 emitting factors, which will lead to many negative effects, such as harm to human health, as well as environmental and economic impacts. Therefore, green building is a very important factor to achieve low-carbon city planning.

Environmental aspects

Located between the Central European continental climate and the Atlantic Ocean climate, the UK is heavily influenced by the Gulf Stream. Temperatures, precipitation, wind, cloud cover, humidity and sea level changes are complex. These factors, in turn, affect all aspects of the UK's environment and society, including the architectural structure and the indoor environment of the building. These considerations of the impact of the building are very necessary, especially for buildings with long life. And the green buildings in the UK are proposed for sustainable development. The impact of the construction industry on the environment is well known. Green buildings are characterized by promotion of ecology, environmental protection, energy conservation, emission reduction and health, and are the key to managing the current environmental crisis.

Social aspects

While many climate change studies focus on greenhouse gas emissions, a new study shows the social factors that can contribute to global warming. Various social factors that may contribute to climate change are studied, including the role of population growth. The study found that in most countries over the past few decades, for every 1% increase in population, greenhouse gas emissions have increased by more than 1%. The study also introduced other social factors that affect emissions in addition to population growth, including consumption, affluence, urbanization, trade, and culture. These factors were found to have predictable results, and some surveys of these factors produced significant results. The researchers found some unresolved issues and looked forward to further research. These issues include the management of emissions, the role of international trade structures in emissions, the impact of national economic structures on emissions, and the impact of policies on emissions. Green buildings will be fulfilling low-carbon cities by two main methods: improving building technology and housing design.

Technology

Innovating with renewable energy technologies is key to achieving green building goals and certification. The use of renewable energy in buildings helps to reduce energy consumption and emissions. The lack of infrastructure to connect the electricity generated by construction sites to the grid is one of the most significant challenges. Renewable energy commonly used in buildings is: solar hot water, solar photovoltaic, small wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, etc. In fact, the use of renewable energy plays a crucial role in achieving zero-energy buildings. Using a solar desiccant cooling system can save up to 60% in energy related costs. Therefore, building integrated renewable energy has become an important part of green building design and development. The research found that although there is no energy storage system, the environmental benefits are significant. One of the key elements of sustainable building design is to reduce resource consumption and increase resource efficiency. One common method is to reduce, recycle and reuse or construct and dismantle waste. Encouraging green building materials and technology is a common practice for governments to minimize waste from construction and demolition. However, what is now being introduced is the use of solar water heater technology and small wind turbine technology to improve British architecture.

The solar water heater

But depending on the UK's climate, solar water heaters and small wind turbine technologies have both advantages and disadvantages. First of all, the design of solar water heater is a major trend in the development of energy-efficient buildings. On the one hand, it can improve the level of building design. On the other hand, it can also give full play to the role of solar water heater technology in building energy conservation and reduce the adverse impact of residential buildings on the ecological environment. In contrast, solar water heater also has disadvantanges. Poor heat transfer and installation location is limited. However, the most important thing is the British climate. Perennial rainy weather hinders the role of solar water heaters.

The small wind turbine

In addition, the second small wind turbine technology is favored because it has two advantages. The first advantage of a small wind turbine is its small size and flexibility for easy installation and use. The small wind turbine has a compact body, which is convenient for carrying and transporting, and the installation method is relatively simple. Its second advantage is energy saving and environmental protection. Because small wind turbines rely entirely on wind power to generate electricity, it meets people's requirements for environmental protection. According to estimates by the British Wind Energy Association, the installed capacity of small wind turbines in the UK in 2008 was 7. 24 megawatts. If the policy is right, the installed capacity will reach 1,300 megawatts by 2020. In 2008, the power generation of the British small wind turbine industry reached 24. 5 GWh. If the growth barrier can be resolved, by 2020 the UK's small wind turbine industry will generate 1,700 GWh of electricity. By 2020, the installed capacity of small wind turbines in the UK will exceed 600,000 units.

Conclusion

The study provides a rigorous review of existing research related to global green buildings. Extensive literature reviews indicate that most green building research focuses on sustainable environmental aspects such as energy consumption, water efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, and technical solutions. The review also showed that there are certain initiatives to focus on the interaction between the building itself and the building and the user. Providing education and training to occupants will help regulate the behavior of buildings that use buildings that may significantly affect building performance. Most of the existing research on green buildings is based on current weather data, such as modeling energy savings based on historical climate information. Similarly, current occupancy patterns, such as population and density, are used to optimize building design and construction. This may not be enough to cope with future climatic conditions. Therefore, the design and construction of green buildings need to consider future proofing. This is very useful considering the fact that extreme weather will be more severe and last longer. Students will become future practitioners and even leaders in various fields. Teachers play a key role in shaping students' attitudes and behaviors toward issues related to sustainability, such as how buildings are used. The above issues are future agenda items for green building related research.

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