Welcome to European Tribune. It's gone a bit quiet around here these days, but it's still going.
Display:
An additional point: construction-related CO2 emissions come mostly from the manufacture of cement and steel. There is research into a significant reduction of both. From what I remember, at least steel production is possible in a system closed from the viewpoint of the carbon cycle (i.e. without burning coal).

However, you can't make air travel carbon-free, however you tax it.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Tue Nov 9th, 2010 at 04:39:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Both are in theory carbon neutral: steel is produced by the removal of oxygen from iron ore (mostly haematite: Fe3O4) which can be done by any number of processes given enough energy.  Concrete is made my ejecting CO2 from limestone (plus a whole slew of things involving silicate and aluminate), but this CO2 is absorbed by the concrete as it cures (except in some special types of concrete).
by njh on Tue Nov 9th, 2010 at 06:48:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:

Occasional Series