Sustainability Flashcards
(5 cards)
How does this project perform against the UN SDGs
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What does Net Zero mean to you? What is Mott MacDonald’s position towards Net Zero?
Net Zero is an ambition to the reduce the human race’s emissions to 0kgCO2e in the first step to reverse the impacts of climate change.
In the UK, the government has committed to reducing the UK’s emissions by 68% compared to 1990 levels and achieving Net Zero by 2050.
Mott MacDonald has committed to achieving Net Zero in all its operations by 2040.
How can Net Zero be achieved?
It is very rare for any form of human activity to cause zero emissions or net negative emissions.
But it is imperative that construction reduces emissions as much as possible to reduce the amount of carbon offsetting that is required (through measures such as tree planting).
Hierarchy for doing this described in PAS2080. The new terminology is described as Avoid, Switch, Improve. I actually prefer the old terminology as I find it more intuitive - Build Nothing, Build Less, Build Clever, Build Efficiently.
First looking to descope construction activities if they provide no functional benefit to the project. Using less resources through optimised design. Using more carbon friendly materials such as low carbon concrete, using electric plant vs diesel powered plant.
Project lifecycle also needs to be considered. In completing the detailed design for a brook diversion as part of the Calverley FSR, I was specifying two types of erosion protection measure. The first was seeded coir matting and the second was rock rip rap. On the face of it, the coir matting seems more sustainable than the rip rap - it uses a renewable resource, it encourages vegetation growth, it is less energy intensive to produce. However, the coir matting/vegetation that grows through is less resistant to erosion than rip rap so was only used on the brook diversion banks and on the invert of the second stage (above the low flow channel lined by coir rolls). The rip rap was used upstream and downstream of a new precast concrete culvert. With it being more resistant to erosion, it enhances the lifespan of the culvert - one of the most carbon intensive elements of the design. Relying on vegetation alone, the higher velocities in and around the culvert could have eroded beneath the culvert, resulting in it needing to be repaired or replaced - likely a higher carbon impact than the initial carbon cost of using the rip rap.
What is UK’s State of Nation Report and what are your views on it?
