In the fight against climate change, efforts are intensifying against the planet’s number one enemy: CO2.
This should be of particular interest to the building and construction industry, as the industry is responsible for up to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; other estimates put that number at nearly 40 percent. According to the study, Estimation and Minimization of Embodied Carbon of Buildings: A Review, “without major improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings, the current surge in urbanization may lead to a doubling of GHG emissions associated with the building and construction industry in the next 20 years.”
While the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Agreement, there is a growing movement by many countries, businesses and even individuals to enact measures in support of the goal of the Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Many of these efforts are being taken to reduce carbon emissions, as well as embodied carbon.
The issue of carbon was front and center at the recent Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, which highlighted several initiatives aimed at carbon reduction.
The World Green Building Council launched its new Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, which challenges businesses and organizations globally to eliminate operational carbon emissions from their building portfolios by 2030.
“This new Commitment is a huge step forward on the path towards net zero,” said Terri Willis, CEO of the World Green Building Council. “Our vision is ambitious, but we know that the building industry has the knowledge, the technologies and the capability to deliver. The Commitment will help to create unprecedented demand for green design and construction, stimulating the market to deliver net zero carbon buildings at scale.”
A total of 38 entities quickly signed on as founding signatories—12 businesses, 22 cities and four states/regions. They all committed to requiring that all new buildings within their jurisdictions operate at net zero carbon starting in 2030, and that all existing buildings become net zero carbon by 2050.
One of the biggest generators of carbon is the cement industry. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the cement industry generated more than 4 billion pounds of CO2 globally in 2017. That’s around 7 percent of the global total and a larger share than any country other than the United States or China. About half of all cement CO2 is produced in making clinker.
Technology is paving the way to reduce the cement industry’s carbon emissions, which could include improving energy efficiency, using fuels that are less carbon-intensive, reducing the clinker-to-cement ratio and developing ways to capture CO2 and inject it into concrete as it’s being mixed.
While some carbon-reduction efforts are solution-based, others are being implemented through the regulation process.
California recently passed a bill requiring 100 percent carbon-free power by 2045. Governor Jerry Brown signed an executive order essentially requiring the state to become carbon-negative starting in 2046. Hawaii has taken a similar path, passing legislation that requires the state to be fully carbon-neutral by 2045. Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., are considering similar mandates.
Beyond regulation, many companies are joining efforts to voluntarily—and in some cases, dramatically—reduce their carbon footprint. Nearly 500 companies have joined the Science Based Targets initiative that helps them take science-based action and work toward science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Carbon emissions are classified in three ways:
- Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources;
- Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, as well as purchased steam or heat; and
- Scope 3 emissions are indirect emissions that result from a company’s supply chain and include both upstream and downstream emissions—simply put, anything left that’s not in Scope 2.
To make a real impact on reducing carbon emissions, companies need to focus on Scope 3 emissions: those often make up the bulk of a company’s carbon footprint and, until recently, have been largely overlooked. Reducing Scope 3 emissions takes the highest level of commitment, as it includes encouraging suppliers, partners and even employees to take actionable steps to reduce their carbon footprint.
There is tremendous momentum building to take action and implement policies in support of the Paris Agreement, and one of the primary goals is the reduction of carbon. The construction industry should be ready to adapt to the inevitable changes that are coming, either through innovation or regulation.
