User:Nosemi/Tofu-dreg project

Tofu Dreg Construction and Climate Change

Overall Effect on Climate

Tofu Dreg Construction stemming from speedy, shoddy work, often uses cheap and quick materials, mainly concrete . The speedy construction and pouring of sub-standard concrete leads to poor building infrastructure, causing the issues seen when a natural disaster occurs like the Wenchuan Earthquake . Concrete production contributes to large percentages of individual greenhouse gasses . From 1980-2011 China has led in cement/concrete production, in fact China produced more cement in a two year period than the U.S. produced in the 20th century . All of this cement production has led to vast emissions of greenhouse gasses, China’s contribution to GHGs from cement alone rivaled total GHG emissions of some countries . China is using a lot of cement, and is using it quickly causing Tofu Construction of buildings . Tofu construction only leads to more construction, as after the Sichuan Earthquake, China finished close to 29,692 projects to rebuild areas affected by the earthquake . Even without natural disasters Chinese constructions have still failed, “One Australian reporter counted four collapsed bridges in just nine days in July 2012 .” Chinese officials acknowledge these issues as well, giving life expectancies of buildings, and even warning of future collapses of buildings as they age and reach certain life spans . Even in reconstruction efforts, tofu dreg construction remains prevalent, sources from the post earthquake county of Yongchang cite having moved into buildings already having cracks within walls of their newly built apartments . Yet construction continues in China as in the span of 2011-2014 it was predicted that China would have a new skyscraper constructed every five days . Construction contributes to about 40% of the world’s GHG emissions, most of these emissions come from materials used, like concrete -Tofu Dregs signature building material- and other materials .

The Grand Picture

In connection to tofu-dreg construction are the more grandeur projects that the Chinese government implements, many of which are wholly unnecessary for their purpose and are simply used as tools to indicate to foreign countries that China is developed. By allocating the country’s best resources to wealthy cities, China’s rural areas are subjected to repeated infrastructure disasters, which not only leads to the expenditure of more natural resources in order to rebuild but also the pollution caused during the initial collapse. China’s construction industry is a significant contributor to the overall climate crisis, and although China has made plans to reduce the nation’s carbon emission with renewable energy and upgraded industrial equipment, the majority of China’s rural and poor areas continue to depend on staples such as cement and steel which carry a heavy carbon footprint. The result, as exemplified by tofu-dreg projects, is recurring collapse and natural resource use. In addition to weak buildings are weak work areas (e.g., factories) which have led to devastating events such as factory fires, pipeline leaks, and workplace explosions.