The A/E and construction industries have been working to mitigate global climate change for more than four decades. While we have made gradual progress in every sector, we are still faced with an urgent climate emergency and a pressing need to accelerate our decarbonization efforts before the extreme environmental impacts become irreversible.
Because building construction and operations account for 39% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, architects play a vital role in reaching international decarbonization targets and ultimately net zero by 2050. Building operations and energy use account for 28% of these GHG emissions and are referred to as operational carbon. The other 11% come from embodied carbon: The GHG emissions resulting from building material manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal.