Is There a Climate Change Tipping Point? Green Buildings May Provide an Answer
Leading climate scientists argue about whether we need to take drastic action in the face of certain climate change, that we have a “planetary emergency.” Count me as an agnostic in this debate over a precise timetable for climate change; it’s clearly going to happen. What’s also clear is that green buildings and energy retrofits are critical to any climate action program.
In today’s New York Times, there is a good review article on the debate among climate scientists, about the probability of a climate change tipping point. “Whether the probability is high, medium, or low, I think the response is the same: climate cannot be stabilized without an energy technology revolution,” said Christopher Green, an economist at McGill University in Montreal . “One way or the other, we just need to get busy.” Society in general doesn’t respond well to emergencies, except to rescue and comfort survivors from infrequent natural disasters. But we do need to get busy. That’s why I find it so strange that architects and engineers are so resistant to setting absurdly high goals for energy efficiency in new buildings. Even a 50 percent reduction in current levels of building energy use can be done without sacrificing comfort or health, so why don’t most projects at least aim that high? It’s really because no one wants to leave their (current) comfort zone and try new things. I think the future of building design will belong to the bold, not the timid, so most of my work is aimed at trying to encourage people to set bold “stretch” goals for each new project.
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