Feb 4, 2021

Two Point Four - climate change and the global move into cities. - Issue #2

Revue

Two Point Four - climate change and the global move into cities.

February 4 · Issue #2 · View online

I explore the intersection of the climate emergency, the global move into cities and the ever-increasing pace of technological revolution.

Today is about concrete, climate change and cities.

Concrete is the he second-most consumed product globally, after water, the most widely used artificial material in existence. It contributes to 5 to 7% of global warming, and it’s so carbon-intensive that if it were a country, it would rank fourth in the world as a climate polluter. So yes, concrete is a problem.

While we were reading that previous paragraph, the global building industry poured over 25,000 bathtubs full of concrete.

This is what I see if I go for a walk close to my house. I live in Medellin, Colombia, and the city is growing like crazy. Apartment building after apartment building gets built, new bridges, highways, tunnels. And it’s all based on concrete.

But at the same time,

… the global move into cities is what is saving us from climate change. It drives demographics (people that move into cities have less kids). It drives a greener lifestyle (city life depends less on cars).

Two point four billion people are moving into cities by 2050. That will require a lot of concrete. But it will also be what, to some degree, saves our planet. Can we design cities so that they are fully electrified? Can we design cities so that they are carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative? Can we design them to be wonderful to live in? Lots of questions, let me know if you have ideas!

Cheers,

Peter

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Envigado, Colombia.