Editing Infrastructure (section)

=== Sustainable materials ===
Another solution to transition into a more sustainable infrastructure is using more sustainable materials. A material is sustainable if the needed amount can be produced without depleting non-renewable resources.<ref name="Rutgers What Are Sustainable Materials?">{{Cite web |title=What Are Sustainable Materials? |website=Center for Sustainable Materials |publisher=Rutgers |url=http://sustain.rutgers.edu/what_are_sustainable_materials |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604213127/http://sustain.rutgers.edu:80/what_are_sustainable_materials |archive-date=4 June 2012 }}</ref> It also should have low environmental impacts by not disrupting the established steady-state equilibrium of it.<ref name="Rutgers What Are Sustainable Materials?"/> The materials should also be resilient, renewable, reusable, and recyclable.<ref>{{Cite web|title=11 Characteristics of Sustainable Materials|url=https://simplicable.com/new/sustainable-materials|access-date=2020-11-06|website=Simplicable|date=17 October 2018 }}</ref>

Today, concrete is one of the most common materials used in infrastructure. There is twice as much concrete used in construction than all other building materials combined.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gagg |first1=Colin R. |title=Cement and concrete as an engineering material: An historic appraisal and case study analysis |journal=Engineering Failure Analysis |date=May 2014 |volume=40 |pages=114–140 |doi=10.1016/j.engfailanal.2014.02.004 }}</ref> It is the backbone of industrialization, as it is used in bridges, piers, pipelines, pavements, and buildings.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-12-817784-6.00008-4 |chapter=Graphene-reinforced cement composites for smart infrastructure systems |title=The Rise of Smart Cities |date=2022 |last1=Schulte |first1=Justine |last2=Jiang |first2=Zhangfan |last3=Sevim |first3=Ozer |last4=Ozbulut |first4=Osman E. |pages=79–114 |isbn=978-0-12-817784-6 }}</ref> However, while they do serve as a connection between cities, transportation for people and goods, and protection for land against flooding and erosion, they only last for 50 to 100 years.<ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1016/B978-0-08-102181-1.00030-7 |chapter=Foreword |title=Eco-Efficient Repair and Rehabilitation of Concrete Infrastructures |date=2018 |last1=Schlangen |first1=Erik |pages=xvii |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-102181-1 }}</ref> Many were built within the last 50 years, which means many infrastructures need substantial maintenance to continue functioning.

However, concrete is not sustainable. The production of concrete contributes up to 8% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.<ref name="iwbcc.com">{{Cite web|date=2019-04-28|title=Why Building With Concrete is not Sustainable|url=https://www.iwbcc.com/why-building-with-concrete-is-not-sustainable/|access-date=2020-11-06|website=IWBC|language=en-US}}</ref> A tenth of the world's industrial water usage is from producing concrete.<ref name="iwbcc.com"/> Even transporting the raw materials to concrete production sites adds to airborne pollution.<ref name="iwbcc.com"/> Furthermore, the production sites and the infrastructures themselves all strip away agricultural land that could have been fertile soil or habitats vital to the ecosystem.