Environmental issues affecting sustainable development in the construction industry

The construction industry plays a vital role in the economic development of any country. However, this industry is also known for its significant environmental issues, including carbon emissions, the consumption of natural resources, and landfill waste. The mitigation of these issues lays the foundation for sustainable development. Despite the increasing number of publications on sustainable development in the construction industry, there is an absence of research that discusses environmental issues affecting sustainable development and the future direction of this strategy. Therefore, this article will review the current literature on the environmental issues affecting sustainable development in the construction industry. A list of keywords (environmental issue, carbon emission, landfill waste, waste of natural resources and sustainable development) related to the scope of this research was identified. In the second step, the keywords for studies in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) were searched, and a total of 32 papers were reviewed. A themed review was performed, where four final themes were identified: assessment, building materials, technology, and framework. The results suggest a new framework for research trends in environmental issues affecting sustainable development in the construction industry. Accordingly, this study will benefit future researchers focusing on environmental issues affecting sustainable development.