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surprisingly large source of C02 emissions

, and it’s the second-most used substance on earth, behind only water.

Our growing maze of concrete freeways and buildings now produces eight percent of global CO2 emissions. That’s even higher than the three percent produced by the aviation industry.

It’s one reason the Minnesota Department of Transportation was out at its 

 near Albertville this week laying 35 new pavement mixes that incorporate things like fiber and recycled bottles. 

They’ll test the mixes beneath the tires of real Interstate 94 drivers. The facilities includes 3.5 miles of highway that run parallel with the westbound lanes. 

Glenn Engstrom, director of the facility joined Climate Cast this week to talk about MnDOT’s efforts to reduce the use of concrete.

Click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast to hear the conversation.

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The experimental pavement mixes incorporate recycled bottles, fiber and other materials to reduce the proportion of concrete needed. The agency is also looking at whether it can sequester carbon in its pavement. 

MnDOT exploring new pavement mixes to reduce use of carbon-intensive concrete

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