Green buildings must do more to reduce energy-related C02 emissions to zero

World over, the buildings are responsible for 40 percent of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and since 2010 the global building sector CO2 emissions are up 3 percent. Though this is a matter of concern, yet architects believe that buildings could be actually a possible solution to the climate crisis. Through sustainable measures and practice, buildings could not only greatly reduce their demand for energy, but could generate clean, renewable energy. If warming could be kept below 2℃, the built environment may become carbon-neutral by 2050.

The built environment industries which includes architects, engineers, designers and developers understand that though the concept of “green building” got into reality more than 30 years ago yet not enough has been achieved. It requires willpower policy, regulation and incentives in order to do more to fix our climate emergency.

Our planet has warmed about 1℃ since the 19th century and rising! If it rises to another degree, then it may push the civilization to the brink. According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, urgent and unprecedented changes are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) so that we avoid reaching 2℃. 

All attempt to reduce energy-related C02 emissions from buildings to zero must be taken with all our capacity.  Architecture2030.org, a U.S. based non-governmental organization, recently introduced the first national and international “Zero Code” building standard for new construction. It focuses on designing buildings with high energy efficiency that use no fossil fuels in their operation. The organization is working in California and China to put the policy into practice.

The performance of LEED-certified buildings (and those that are not yet certified) are evaluated against a proprietary dataset and given an “Arc score.” This process anchors our progress to a baseline number, not towards constructing unprecedented sustainable buildings.

2019 - The year of a green new deal?

Richard Murphy and Colin Hines have suggested a number of ways on how to raise revenue that could be used to fund energy efficiency in all buildings, renewable and local transport systems. They hope that this green new deal would also provide jobs in every constituency and dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

To deliver this 'green' will, Richard Murphy and Colin Hines writes in the guardian.com, require that people be convinced that they will benefit and that there is the money to pay for such a transformation. Also, taxes on the wealthy can be increased.

According to them these funding can be raised in many ways including private savings via “green war bonds”. Another mechanism would be to improve tax collection. Also, bank could purchase new debt issued in the form of green bonds by a national investment bank to fund energy efficiency in all buildings, renewable and local transport systems.
 
Murphy and Colin suggests to use quantitative easing to fund the transition to a sustainable economy. Read more