Sustainable construction principles by Kingspan Insulated Panels

What is Sustainable Development?

The classic definition of sustainable development comes fromthe Brundtland Report of the World Commission on Environment& Development of 1987, Our Common Future: "Sustainabledevelopment is development which meets the needs of thepresent generation without comprising the ability of futuregenerations to meet their own needs."

The Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse concept is simply that the composition of thegases that make up the atmosphere enveloping the earth is crucialto the existence of life, by acting as an insulator. This is because aprecise gaseous composition allows heat which is radiated from thesun to be trapped in by the earth. Furthermore it allows the specifictemperature range for life to flourish, as it allows the right amount ofheat loss as well as retention to keep the balance of life stable.

Global Warming & Climate Change

While the Greenhouse Effect in balance is a good thing, the creationof an imbalance through the excessive emission of man-madegreenhouse gases disturbs the balance. Accordingly, humanitycurrently faces one of its greatest challenges ever as accumulatinggreenhouse gases cause climate change and sea level rise. Themost recent report confirms there is now very little doubt that manmadecarbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change."Greenhouse gases are accumulating in the Earth'satmosphere as a result of human activities, causing surface airtemperatures and surface ocean temperatures to rise.Temperatures are, in fact, rising... Human-induced warmingand associated sea-level rises are expected to continuethroughout the 21st century".