Here are some articles on construction and its relationship to emissions. How bad is it and what is being done to mitigate the problems? Start your exploration here and maybe begin to improve and innovate where you are.
Construction sector views on low carbon building materials
Why it's important:
"The principal objective of this study was to understand the economic, technical, practical and cultural barriers preventing construction professionals from selecting a variety of materials commonly identified as being lower in embodied carbon. It also sought to understand the role for regulation, professional institutions and advocacy groups in overcoming these barriers."
Operational vs. embodied emissions in buildings—A review of current trends
Why it is important:
"studies have revealed the growing significance of embodied emissions in buildings but its importance is often underestimated in lifecycle emissions analysis"
Building governance and climate change: roles for regulation and related polices
Why it is important:
"With buildings lasting between 50 and 300 years, they have to respond to current and future needs. Effective governance of the building stock needs to account for change over time and incorporate future scenarios into the requirements for today’s buildings"
Alternative building emission-reduction measure: outcomes from the Tokyo Cap-and-Trade Program
Why it is important:
"the Tokyo Cap-and-Trade Program (TCTP), implemented since 2010, is an important measure to accelerate the building sector’s emission reduction to achieve Tokyo’s greenhouse gas target, 25% reduction by 2020 from a year 2000 baseline level"
Climate policies for buildings
Why it is important:
"A fundamental question is whether there is sufficient ‘policy literacy’ within the built environment community to convincingly engage with policy-makers and policy formulation to play an active role in generating, explaining and evaluating policy options"
Too Few Cities Are Developing Effective Strategies To Protect Their Residents From Climate Change
Why it is important:
" cities are falling short in two areas: preparing for the likely impacts of climate change and cutting their own greenhouse gas emissions by reducing fossil fuel use"