Buy Clean: How Public Construction Dollars Can Create Jobs and Cut Pollution

Description

Construction materials— including aluminum, cement, steel, and wood— are in nearly everything we build and a vital economic backbone for Canada. Given the scale of our built infrastructure and how long we expect our roads, bridges and wastewater systems to last, what we build with matters. Our buildings account for 13% of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and when you add in our built infrastructure, you get a hefty portion of our carbon footprint. How we spend on public construction can create jobs and help to cut pollution. This crucial part of our Canada's economic recovery is detailed in Blue Green Canada's latest report. The good news for us: when it comes to the carbon footprint of these construction materials, Canada has a unique advantage. Thanks in large part to our country's clean electricity grid (which is now 82% emissions-free), goods produced here often have a smaller carbon footprint than those produced elsewhere. When you combine this with the efficiency of our manufacturers and the fact that it's less polluting to ship materials across a land border than across an ocean, it becomes clear that Canada's advantage is also its opportunity. Canada's target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 requires substantial carbon reductions across all economic sectors. Changing the way we look at public infrastructure can unlock previously overlooked pollution reduction opportunities while simultaneously supporting Canadian manufacturers and creating the conditions for them to thrive in the low-carbon global marketplace.