Courtesy of cove.tool
As the effects of climate change intensify across the world, the AEC industry is shifting toward green building to effectively address the climate crisis. In 2020, members of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) overwhelmingly approved a resolution making environmental stewardship the organization’s top priority. Since then, steady progress has been achieved to develop a Climate Action Plan, evolve the Framework for Design Excellence, and increase participation in the 2030 Commitment. The building and construction sector is responsible for 36% of energy consumption, 38% of energy related carbon emissions, and 50% of resource consumption globally. These percentages are expected to double in total footprint by 2060, exacerbating the negative effects of climate change on the environment. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 Report warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. The world must act fast to avoid these catastrophic events, and decarbonizing the built environment is a major step in the right direction.