What happens if the temperature goes up by 1 degree? Arctic ice will begin to melt, increasing the sea levels, and the coral island countries will start to drown gradually. Not only that, unexpected natural disasters such as drought, heat wave, flood, and typhoon may take place in a larger scale. Endemics and epidemics caused by changing climate cannot be overlooked either. These are the effects of climate change we’ve all seen in the school textbooks. Things like these are actually taking place in the world. Experts even say that at this rate it will just take 40 years for all Arctic ice to melt. Then, what can we do to stop climate crisis and protect our Earth? Let’s look into the small efforts that can be made by individuals and greater-scope actions that can be taken by corporates with Hyundai Engineering & Construction, which was decorated into the Hall of Fame (best climate change group) by CDP Korea for 2 consecutive years.

Everyday Life Endeavors to Stop Climate Change

It may seem trivial, but saving resources in everyday lives can contribute to stopping climate change. This is because greenhouse gas, the cause of climate change, is mainly produced when making resources and energy. Green Peace, an organization that wishes to resolve environment issues in a peaceful way, suggests a creative activity to reduce greenhouse gas for a week; ‘not using a plastic water bottle’, ‘going vegan for a week’, ‘pulling the cord out for electronic products we don’t use and replacing lightbulbs with energy efficient ones’, ‘using public transportation and bicycles’… these are all very easy things we can have a go at. But using less plastic and going for a vegan diet may be puzzling to some people.

It may seem unrelated, but according to Green Peace, if we use a tumbler instead of one or two plastic bottles we use a day, we can reduce 1,160g carbon emission. It doesn’t have to be water bottles, it can also be any plastic product we use in our everyday lives. Discarded plastic not only pollutes the soil and marine life the minute they are thrown away, but they also produce greenhouse gas. For example, it takes staggering 100 years for a plastic toothbrush to be disintegrated. Plastic produces greenhouse gas when it is being made but also when it’s being burnt or discarded. Recycled plastic is not even 10%. Let’s practice using less plastic from now on, to escape the experts’ prediction of plastic being no. 1 cause of greenhouse gas by 2050.

Veganism is also a way to protect the Earth. Veganism and climate change are very closely related. It’s because much CO2, which takes up 80% of greenhouse gas, is created when cultivating animal food like cattle. According to UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (hereafter IPCC), 14.5% of all greenhouse gas is created in the livestock industry. Animals like cows and sheep not only create much methane gas, but forests are also taken down to raise them, which increases the carbon emission. Green Peace says maintaining a vegan diet for a week and refraining form eating meat can reduce carbon emission by 15,280g. Even if you can’t suspend consuming meat altogether for nutritious reasons, consuming them reasonably and stopping imprudent production can contribute to reducing greenhouse gas. 

Hyundai Engineering & Construction Efforts to Stop Climate Change; Environment & Energy Management Carbon reduction

Hyundai Engineering & Construction established its own environment & energy management strategy and is carrying out various activities.

Then what could corporates do to stop climate change? This particular corporate is being recognized for its efforts on environment from the most credible sustainability index, ‘CDP Climate Change’; it’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction. The global environment management certification agency ‘Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)’ requires environment related management information such as climate change, water, forest resource, etc., from all major corporates around the world, analyzes it and publishes a report on the data, and provides it to the investors. Hyundai Engineering & Construction achieved best levels in the carbon management index CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)’ evaluation for 5 consecutive years and was recognized for its strategy and performance on climate change, which led it to ‘CDP Korea Hall of Fame’ in 2018. It still maintained its status in the CDP Korea Hall of Fame in 2019 and is regarded as an excellent Korean corporate that reacts to climate change. 

Hyundai Engineering & Construction’s environment & energy management strategy became the foundation. Hyundai Engineering & Construction is establishing the ‘long-term environment & energy management roadmap’, a long-term vision ‘Global Green One Pioneer’ for 2050. From developing construction technology to transportation, construction, and demolishment, all processes of busines are reviewed to see if they are eco-friendly sustainable before execution.

The first thing Hyundai Engineering & Construction worried about was the greenhouse gas emitted in construction sites. Since 2013, Hyundai Engineering & Construction have measured and analyzed potential greenhouse gas reduction amount in its model sites for different projects. Based on such data, they established the ‘greenhouse gas target management system strategy’. This strategy is about reducing 52.5% of greenhouse gas emission by 2050, compared to that of 2015. The goal is to cut down not just greenhouse gas (Scope 1, 2) emission taking place at Hyundai Engineering & Construction sites, as we are subject to mandatory reduction under the ‘Basic Act on low carbon green growth', but also the greenhouse gas emitted in subcontractor equipment (Scope 3) and foreign construction sites.

It’s especially noteworthy that in 2019, based on deep learning and big data, the ‘greenhouse gas progress prediction/warning system at construction sites and its methods' was developed and patented. As the name suggests, this system allows accurate measurement, monitoring, and warning on construction site greenhouse gas. It is used to see which sites are emitting more greenhouse gas than predicted to reduce wasted energy and greenhouse gas. Also, in 2018, the wintertime concrete curing construction method was improved to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emitted from curing fuel in wintertime concrete work. This method allows cutting down a huge amount of necessary curing fuel. Insulated mold, which is a regular mold with insulation attached, was implemented to prevent necessary concrete curing heat from being leaked outside and thereby preventing great energy loss. Such efforts altogether contribute to pursuing construction with minimum impact on the environment while also cutting costs and shortening the construction period. 

Did You know that it requires more energy to live in a house than when constructing one? Hyundai Engineering & Construction builds apartments with the optimum technology that could reduce greenhouse gas. Hillstate Lake Songdo, completed in 2019, would be the model case. It’s an ‘energy efficient apartment’ that cuts the energy consumption by half compared to existing high-rise apartments with more than 30 floors. It received Level 5 in zero energy construction and building energy efficiency Level 1++ as an apartment house for the first time.

They reduced heating energy consumption by using high insulation materials and fortifying airtight function while also installing new renewable energy equipment such as the large-scale solar power and fuel cells on the rooftop and on the walls to allow this apartment to produce and consume electricity on its own; it’s an energy independent (more than 20%) apartment.

To build such energy efficient apartment, Hyundai Engineering & Construction carried out eco-friendly construction from the design stage, considering not just energy but also reducing water use and ecology as well as refreshing living environment. Hillstate Lake Songdo shows the result of such concerns on the ecology from its very beginning designing stage through its reuse of rainwater, polluted soil cleansing technology, use of damaged wood, etc.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction management and employees are also carrying out the Green Campaign in their offices and at site.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction management and employees are also taking part in greenhouse gas reduction activities in their offices and at site through the ‘Green Campaign’. They not only participate in everyday life activities such as strengthening coolingㆍheating pipe insulation, installing automatic entrance closers, strengthening entrance and window insulation, using LED lights, using only every other light and sensor lights, and riding hybrid cars for work, but also are concerns about various means to reduce greenhouse gas on site where much energy is being consumed through managing automatic light control system and compressor leakage, using alternative fuels while curing concrete, etc. Based on such endeavors, Hyundai Engineering & Construction was able to cut down 66,585 tCO 2 -eq (CO2 tons) greenhouse gas in just 2018 alone as well as about 2.66 billion KRW in costs (considering only the amount of greenhouse gas reduced thanks to reduction efforts; emission trading system cost (greenhouse gas 1 ton/400 million KRW) applied).

Small efforts from individuals and corporates together can become the great force that protects the Earth. Hyundai Engineering & Construction will not settle here but continue to discover items that can reduce greenhouse gas and carry out to management and employee training on greenhouse gas to become a true global eco-friendly corporate. Please look forward to Hyundai Engineering & Construction’s various efforts in everyday life as well as workplace to stop climate change!