14 June 2018

Cities should demand zero emission construction sites

Cities should demand zero emission construction sites

Image (Pixabay.com) by "MichaelGaida", licensed under CCO

Diesel engines are major contributors to urban air pollution, carbon emissions and noise pollution, yet to date, little attention has been paid to their use in the building and construction activities and the risks that they pose to the health of construction workers and neighbouring residents.

A new report by Bellona argues that cities - as major purchasers of construction work - need to begin harnessing their procurement power to encourage greater innovation and a transformative shift to clean vehicles in the construction industry. At a European level, there is also an opportunity to include construction site vehicles in the ongoing reformulation of the EU's Clean Vehicles Directive.

Electrified machinery is cleaner, quieter, and has lower operational costs. It is also becoming increasingly available on the market, and some cities are already leading the way, such as the City of Oslo, which recently procured four kindergartens with a requirement for fossil free construction sites (a case study is available here).

The full report on 'Zero Emission Construction Sites' can be read here.