www.nce.co.uk1 01-08.01.09 NEWCIVil ENGINEER3
CONTENTS 01-08.01.09
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Tel:(020)77284544 (fax4666) Email: prefix plus@emap.com ED.ITOR1Antony Oliver (020) 77284541 antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITOR1JackieWhitelaw (020) 77284542 jackie.whitelaw CONTENTEDITOR1Markliansford (020)77284543mark.hansford NEWSEDITOR.IJohnMcKenna (020) 7728 4544 john.[flckenna SENIORREPORTERIAlexaodraWynne (020) 77284540 alexandra.wynne SENIORREPORTER(WEB)IEdOwen (020) 77284545 ed.owen TECHNICALREPORTER1JessicaRowson (020) 77284546 jessica.rowson ADVERTISING
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05
NEWS
Clydelegal baille
Fabricator Watson Steel sues ils connection supplier over last year's failure of the Clyde Arc.
18
COVER STORY Carbon Challenge
NCE this week launches a new bid to reduce the magazine's carbon footbridge.
23
MIDDLE
EASTREPORT
Mixed fortunes
What are the prospects and what are the key issues for the Middle East construction market in 2009.
Aisein thisissue
06 News
WYG boss Laurie Haynes steps clown
08 News Digest
Manchester's TIF rejection heads the top recent stories
10 Consultants File Enternow!
Analysis
There are opportunities to be had in the year ahead Letters
CPD, transport, energy, skills
12
16
27 ICENEWS Aloisde Negrelli remembered
Comment
Antony 01iver 1
PPAEditorof the YearDiredory starts
p31))"What was revealing was juIf how little we know about what we do and what it COltsin terms of carbon"
Turn off the heat: The carbon counting has started
1may have been at the contraIs when it crashed, but 1still main tain that the very cold weather was to blame for breaking my neighbour's nine year old remote contraI car.
As 1have explained to my wife, the plastic must have become brittle in the sub-zero temperatures. It was, after aIl, only a very smaIl crash. Honestly. And that's the truth.
So minor domestic dramas aside, there is something quite reassuring about starting a new year with proper, seriously chilly British winter weather.
Moan though we perhaps aIl do, frost, frozen puddles, snow and bitter winds are supposed to be to norm in this part of the world inJanuary. Remember?
While it by no means undermines the reality that the world's climate is changing, it does at least give the impression that the world is still capable of "normal" weather and so it perhaps isn't Loolare to act.
On the other hand it also demonstrates
that our standard response to coping is to whack up the heating or, in the case of one of my coIleagues, leave it on aIl clay and night.
And ifyou are like me, it probably also demonstrates that you still haven't got around to that planned draught proofing, extra insulation in the loft or curtain lining upgrades.
The result, we know, will be higher fuel bills. But what will it cost in carbon? What impact will it have on the planet?
Who knows? The fart is that we are just not geared up to measure the impact in terms of carbon. But we will have to soon.
November's Climate Change Act has started the UK on a path towards carbon accounting.
As you will see in the magazine this week, over the Christmas break we have been examining our own carbon footprint. It was qui te a revealing process in maTIrways.
To be honest it was hardly a surprise to find out that the process of tuming LIees
into magazines is a high carbon activity which accounts for over three quarters of our footprint. And it was hardI y a surprise to find out that a couple of transatlantic flights accounted for the bulk of our business trave!.
What was reaIly revealing was just how little we know about what we do and what it rOSISin terms of carbon; and just how hard it is to find out these costs under our current monitoring, reporting and measuring systems.
The work we have clone is just a start. As the feature (p1S) points out, there is a very long way to go before we cali accurately understand what constitutes our footprint and how it cali be reduced.
But we have now at least made a start and hopefuIly it's not Loolare.
So enjoy the cold weather while you cano l'm off to my local mode! racing car specialist to locale a new plastic bodyshell. .
