NO BARRIER TO SUCCESS. PATRICK LE PENSE AND CLAUDIA COFANO ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF VEHICLE RESTRAINT SYSTEMS (“THINKING HIGHWAYS”, GLOBAL EDITION, VOLUME 14, FEB-MAR 2019)

Climate change is nowadays considered as the most devastating environmental threat of our time. Several scientific studies are clearly identified in human activities the main cause of the global warming, through lifestyles, consumption and choices that pollute and exploit resources in an unsustainable manner.

The increased awareness on climate change and the urgent need of reducing greenhouse gases emissions have pushed worldwide Institutions to take severe counter-measures. The Kyoto protocol in 1997 (ratification in 2005) and the Paris agreement signed in 2016 represent the two most important examples of Nations pledge to reduce emissions.

Market is becoming more and more affected by these arrangements: demands for sustainable and eco-friendly products are growing (ex. Green Public Procurement).

Standardization committees have worked in drafting international standards for the assessment of the sustainable use of resources and of the impact of products on the environment. Environmental Product Declarations (EPD®) are the certified sustainable ID-cards of products.

Due to the consumption of large amounts of energy and the production of high levels of CO2 – equivalent emissions, transportation and construction sectors have not been spared by this sustainability wave. As a result, it is fundamental to consider environmental impacts when designing new solutions for road infrastructures and for construction of new road networks.

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