1 mins
COMMENT
EDITOR Andy Brown andy.brown@khl.com +44 (0)1892 786224
The adage is you should never talk about politics and religion at dinner parties, and I’d say that this probably extends to editor’s letters. I’m not going to break this wisdom, but I will just use the example of libertarians to talk about construction’s ongoing conversation about how its equipment is powered… now, come on, stay with me. Libertarians believe in little government regulations and involvement, in letting people and businesses operate as they wish. The opposite side of the coin is often referred to as totalitarianism, a system where the government makes all the choices.
When it comes to how the industry powers its equipment, we’ve had some government intervention, as well as the attitude that ‘the market’ will dictate what happens. Think about all the different regulations around the world for diesel emissions such as EU stage 5 or US Tier 4 that have led to engines that produce fewer harmful emissions than ever. For ‘alternative’ power like electric there are some cities that have introduced legislation around their urban areas. On page 48 we have a feature discussing the fact that the UK government is to publish a crossgovernment strategy to decarbonise non-road mobile machinery and ask what it would mean for the industry if ‘alternative’ powered equipment was pushed by governments globally.
Elsewhere in this issue there are features on modular construction, concrete materials and equipment, the evolution of surveying technology and an article examining if the global skills shortage will be exacerbated by Saudi Arabia’s multi-billion-dollar construction programme.
Enjoy the issue and remember to go to www.constructionbriefing.com for your daily dose of the latest and best construction news and features in the industry.
The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from sustainable forests, managed to strict environmental, social, and economic standards. The manufacturing mill has both FSC & PEFC certification, and also ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.