▪︎Danjuma Waniko, President of GBCN.
The Green Building Council of Nigeria (GBCN) has called for addressing carbon emissions in the building sector of the economy.
“Cement production alone accounts for 23 percent of Nigeria’s national greenhouse gas emissions,” said Danjuma Waniko, President of GBCN.
He disclosed this during the GBCN workshop in Abuja where he emphasized the need for targeted actions to address these issues, which he described as central to the country’s climate challenges.
He said: “This figure is significantly higher than the global average of 11 percent, largely because our economy is not heavily industrialised. Cement is a critical input in the construction of buildings, and the more we build, the more cement we use, resulting in increased emissions.
Waniko stressed that buildings are responsible for approximately 40 percent of global energy-related emissions, with their design, construction, and operation of heavily reliant on energy-intensive processes and materials.
“Buildings contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions due to the use of materials like cement and the energy consumed during their operation,” he said.
He noted that the link between buildings and emissions extends beyond construction materials to energy consumption in homes and offices.
For instance, when you turn on an air conditioner, the energy consumed is often generated from fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas. This process releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Waniko outlined practical solutions to reduce emissions from buildings and construction. These include designing energy-efficient cooling systems, increasing natural ventilation, and using alternative roofing materials. He also stressed the importance of making buildings less dependent on carbon-intensive materials like cement. ▪︎