Source: blueprintforbetter.org
Buildings alone emit about 40% of the world's carbon. Architects can solve this problem easily, by shifting the way they build. A rapid increase in global temperatures is causing an uprising in natural disasters all around the world. The main culprit of this issue: Buildings. All together, buildings account for around 40% of overall fossil fuel emissions which is leading to flooding, hurricanes, and fires, with that, billions of dollars in damage each year. This is a global emergency caused by us. While transportation holds many headlines over CO2 emissions across the world, it only accounts for around 23% of overall emissions. “Building operations, materials and the construction sector account for the rest…the profession of architecture has been on a ‘carbon binge’ for decades,” (“Blueprint for Better”). Today, the construction industry around the world has over 2.4 trillion square feet of land currently under construction. By 2060, this number is expected to easily double. For the next 40 years, we will have added another New York City to the planet every 34 days. If we don’t reduce our carbon emissions by 65% by 2030, and 0% by 2040, climate change will become officially irreversible. As for the architects of the world, this is a pivotal opportunity to better improve the way they design, plan, and construct buildings. They have a chance to address the carbon binge that has taken place for decades, and shape a drastically better future for our earth. We have a chance to renew ourselves and our world, but we must tackle the root of the issue first, being ourselves. We must hold ourselves accountable for the damage we have inflicted upon our earth, and work together to undo the catastrophic damage before it is too late.