Effects of construction activities on the planetary boundaries

Abstract

This study presents a part of an ongoing research on construction in developing countries and the need to operate within planetary boundaries for sustainable development. It is a desk-research and it uses the already established planetary boundary concept to provide insights on the negative consequences of construction activities on planet earth. Some of the harmful effects of construction activities include: production of re-suspended dust particles and bituminous aerosols during construction, emission of greenhouse gases from embodied energy in buildings, rapid loss of biodiversity, unsustainable disposal of domestic and industrial waste into oceans and other water bodies and the unsustainable use of limited fresh water. The paper concludes that continued unsustainable construction activities will have devastating and irreversible effects on a planetary scale.