From lighting to heating and cooling systems, buildings produce an enormous amount of emissions that negatively affect our environment. Governments that are serious about net-zero goals need to take action with their buildings.
Global temperature is on track to rise 6°C. Climate scientists warn of fast-approaching tipping points setting off a cascade of devastating effects. If we’re going to mitigate the impact, we need immediate and aggressive action. In the U.S., cities and states are responding. Twenty-five states have joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, and 350 municipalities are part of Climate Mayors, a bipartisan coalition of U.S. mayors committed to accelerating climate progress. Municipalities throughout the U.S. have set aggressive goals to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, which means they will not produce more climate-changing emissions than they can offset. So how do we get there? One inevitable way will be increasing efficiency in commercial and residential buildings.
Commercial and residential buildings accounted for roughly 40% of total U.S. energy consumption in 2018. From lighting to heating and cooling systems, buildings produce an enormous amount of emissions that negatively affect our environment. Governments that are serious about net-zero goals need to take action with their buildings.
Two leaders in the U.S. that have successfully passed laws and regulations to reduce building emissions are New York City and the state of California. While each is taking a different approach, their early initiatives are a good start in reaching the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality and provide prime examples for others to adopt. Of course, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Birmingham, AL will likely enact different regulations than New York City due to the difference in each city’s building stock, but that doesn’t mean the southern city can’t learn from the Big Apple’s initiatives — and vice versa!
Continue reading the blog post on Propmodo’s website.
