By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Oct. 26, GNA – Dr Prince Hamid Armah, the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, has launched a road map to promote the use of low-carbon construction materials and decarbonize the building and construction sector by 2050.
The step has become necessary due to the high carbon emitting materials used in the construction sector that contributed significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change like cement, steel, aluminium, plastics, glass and earth based materials.
Launching the roadmap in Accra, he said urbanisation and globalisation had influential discussions on humans settlement and development worldwide and Ghana was no exception with urban population of 58 per cent and urbanisation of 3.3 per cent.
The building and construction sector, he said was the major contributor to climate change.
Dr Armah said the construction sector accounted for over a third of global energy-related carbon emissions with about 37 per cent, 40 per cent of global energy consumption, 30 per cent of raw material extraction, 12 per cent of global water consumption and 20 per cent of waste generation.
The figures, the Minister said highlighted the urgent need to mitigate the environmental impact of the industry.
Among the strategies to help mitigate the impact were implementing energy efficient systems, promoting the use of green building materials, advancing water conservation initiatives, designing resilient structures to withstand climate change, and utilising advanced technologies, he said.
Dr Armah noted that the roadmap was a blueprint for initiating change with demonstrated projects from design, to construction and maintenance.
Dr Frederick Wireko-Manu, Research Scientist, Building and Road Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, said Ghana’s material usage in the construction sector was high in all categories from sand to aggregate.
To reduce carbon emission and mitigate climate change, he advised that the building and construction sector avoided waste, built with less and improved circularity, shifted to bio-based building materials, reduced non-renewable building materials and processes and increased share of renewables – wood, bamboo, Biomass and living material.
Ms Celia Martinez, Programme Management Officer, United Nations Environment Programme, commended Ghana for being the second in Africa after Senegal to launch the roadmap.
The building and construction sector, she said was the most polluted globally and generated 37 per cent of global energy related carbon emission, consumed substantial amount of fresh water and 30 per cent of raw materials and generated 30 per cent of landfills globally.
She said it was crucial to incorporate low carbon emitting materials into the market for the sector.
Ms Martinez said half of the buildings needed in Africa and Ghana for that matter were not constructed yet, hence the right time to embrace low carbon materials.
“We need to do the most to address these challenges. We need to utilise the roadmap with set ambitious targets and identify pathways and actions to decarbonise the system,” she added.
Dr Prosper Korah, Urban Planning and Resilience Officer, UN-Habitat, said half of Ghana’s urban population lived in Accra and Kumasi and the country had 1.8 million housing unit deficit.
Cement alone in the construction industry, he said contributed to 10 per cent of carbon emission.
Statistics indicated in 2019, that the building and construction sector consumed about 41 per cent of Ghana’s total energy.
“So more cooling systems are needed in our homes due to climate change. It means the way houses are designed in the country will need more cooling systems, which will be to our detriment,” he said.
Dr Korah said the nation had to strive to achieve zero operational carbon, zero embodied carbon, adaptation and inclusion and wellbeing for its citizenry.
“Report has stated that only 33 of the 261 MMDAs have spatial development framework, so how can they ensure spatial and efficient planning in that regard?” he said.
Dr Korah advised that Ghana revised its curricula in the Technical, Vocational Education and Training sector to include building materials to protect the environment and combat climate change, while promoting the development of energy efficient housing units.
GNA