The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs estimates that by 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in urban environments. As the song goes, “we are living in a material world,” and much of this urban fabric is shaped by those of us in the built environment sector.
A large part of my professional role is to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment in both operational and embodied carbon. Architecture 2030 research shows that the built environment is responsible for about 42% of annual global CO2 emissions. There are exciting opportunities and synergies for our industry to innovate and create healthier jobs and spaces as we all race toward our collective net zero, or even net positive, carbon goals.
Operational and embodied carbon
Operational carbon strategies are focused on lowering energy use intensity (EUI) and carbon intensity through efficient building systems, high-performance facades, behavioral changes and renewable energy generation. Decarbonization of our utility grid will also play a critical role in reducing the CO2 emissions of the built environment. Creating all-electric buildings will further reduce our dependence on fossil fuels (used for space and water heating, as well as commercial cooking needs) and is an additional key step toward the decarbonization of our building stock.
