Title : A path to zero carbon in the built environment
Abstract:
Can the built environment and construction sector achieve climate resilience and net zero GHG emissions by 2050? That is the 2-fold question that this presentation will attempt to address. As environmental impacts and climate change regulations get implemented, all sectors of the economy will need to comply with restrictions on pollutants and impacts to the environment. The built environment uses up to 36%of the global energy and according to the UNEP Report 2020, the construction sector hit record high before the low-Carbon pandemic. Those emissions were primarily from operating buildings. Overall, the global built environment accounts for 40% of all GHG emissions when adding: • 29% operation emissions induced during Operation and Maintenance of buildings, facilities and infrastructure • 11% embodied emissions induced during the processing of building materials and construction The UNEP report also states that global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 in order to reach "net zero" around 2050. In 2020, during the COVID 19 pandemic global GHG emissions have dropped significantly by 6.4% (2.3 billion tones). However, given that the global construction market will grow $8 Trillion by 2030 and add over 2.4 trillion square feet (250 million m2) of new building floor area to accommodate a world population at 10 billion by 2050, the path to achieving a carbon zero built environment requires the implementation of two strategies: one to capture carbon and a second to reduce carbon emissions. Hence, the following learning objectives are expected: • Reviewing the trends in the built environment sector post and pre-pandemic • Defining climate resilience in the built environment • Reviewing the Zero Carbon building framework • Identifying the path towards a carbon neutral or negative built environment by 2050
