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A landmark new exhibition The Art of Cutting Carbon, curated by BBC Energy, Environment Analyst Roger Harrabin and Creative Director Simon Bingle, has opened at the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK.
Exhibited in the Invisible Worlds Pavilion in the Outdoor Gardens, five sculptures draw attention to the huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacture of everyday materials: concrete, steel, plastic, paper/card, and aluminium. They are Our Carbon Creatures.
*Throughout this exhibition ‘CO2’ refers to carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Concrete is sturdy, durable, rot-proof, rust-proof and fire-proof - it is therefore no surprise that it is the most consumed material on the planet after water.
The manufacture of cement, the key ingredient in concrete, produces about 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. And, every month for the next 40 years it’s projected that humans will build the equivalent of another New York City.
Currently cement production is responsible for around 4‒5% of global CO2 emissions. For every tonne produced, over half a tonne of CO2 is emitted.
Solutions
Companies are working towards reducing the impact by: using fossil-free energy; improving energy-efficiency, capturing the CO2 emissions from the process, using raw ingredients that produce less CO2 and using less concrete overall.
Steel is used in construction, vehicles, appliances, cutlery and the machines that make them. For every tonne of steel produced almost 1.8 tonnes of CO2 are emitted. The raw materials; iron ore and coke (a type of coal) are heated to around 1650oC. The ore then releases its oxygen atoms in the first step towards making steel. But those freed oxygen atoms combine with carbon from the coke to make planet-heating CO2. Traditionally fossil fuels also provide the heat.
Solutions
By 2050 it’s estimated that the production of new steel will increase by a third. Pioneering companies are finding ways to make steel with less, or even nil, CO2 emissions. For example, by using electricity from renewable sources instead of coal to fuel the process, and using green hydrogen from renewables as a substitute for coke.
How you can help
Steel is recyclable; over 70% ever produced is still in use. Recycle whenever you can. We need to use less of it.
Aluminium is malleable, durable, light-weight and resistant to corrosion so is perfect for cans, foil, aeroplanes, buildings, electronics and increasingly for renewable energy infrastructure. With a global annual usage of 65 million tonnes, aluminium is the most consumed metal after steel. Aluminium production is responsible for the emission of 0.6 billion tonnes of CO2 every year.
Solutions
Aluminium takes a lot of electricity to create, but companies are looking towards renewable energy and increasing the energy efficiency of the smelting process.
How you can help
Aluminium is 100% recyclable, and recycled aluminium uses about 95% less energy to produce. Recycling 1 tonne of aluminium saves 9 tonnes of CO2 and 4 tonnes of bauxite. In the UK we recycle over 50% of our aluminium. You can help drive that percentage up – every can counts.
Cheap to make, easy to mould … and it lasts for hundreds of years. Plastics are used for everything – from packaging to clothing and from bottles to medical equipment. Almost all plastic ever produced still exists – more than 8 billion tonnes to date.
Plastics are generally made from fossil fuels. Their production produces around 1.8 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. And – all this is before we consider the effect plastic pollution has on creatures in the seas.
Solutions
Plastics are increasingly being produced from plant materials, reducing fossil fuel use. These bioplastics lock up the carbon absorbed by the plants they are made from. Many bioplastics can be recycled or composted. However, bioplastics constitute only 1-2% of the market, and some complain that the plants they are made from take up land needed for food production.
How you can help
Recycling all plastics could save up to 150 million tonnes of CO2 emissions every year. Learn about the different types of plastic, avoid single-use, recycle what you can and use less. Lobby for restrictions on the production of plastic.
Lightweight, easy to store, and relatively strong. Paper for books, writing, currency and loo rolls; cardboard for packaging and storage. Around 401 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are produced annually.
Around 40% of trees harvested globally are used to make paper. Growing trees absorb CO2. Cutting them down means less CO2 is removed from the air. Energy is required to turn wood into paper. Producing one tonne of paper creates almost one tonne of CO2 emissions.
Paper is responsible for the emission of 0.9 billion tonnes of CO2 every year.
Solutions
Since 2005, sustainable forestry helped European forests grow by around 60,000km2. But it is crucial that we preserve our existing forests as well, which take years to build up complex ecosystems of plants and animals.
Paper manufacturers are increasing the use of renewable energy. Making paper with renewables would reduce emissions by up to 96%.
How you can help
Your wallet is your weapon. Buy products that are FSC or PEFC certified, and made from recycled paper if possible. Recycle what you can yourself. Use less.
“ Culture is itself an ecological force. No one fact will change the way we treat the world, one great story just might. ”
Kedisha Coakley with her sculpture 'Mbulu Ngulu'. Credit Julius Peacock © BBC
John Jostins creating his sculpture, 'Call me AL'. Credit Julius Peacock © BBC
Gina Czarnecki creating her sculpture, 'Child'. Credit Julius Peacock © BBC
Simon Bingle creating his sculpture, 'A Cataclysm of Cardboard'. Credit Julius Peacock © BBC
Simon Bingle creating his sculpture, 'Concrete Truths'. Credit Julius Peacock © BBC