5 things to know about carbon-free construction
Buildings and construction generate nearly 40% of global carbon emissions. As urbanization skyrockets, the sector needs to find ways to rapidly decarbonize through net-zero building.
Home to one of the oldest microgrids in the US, the University of California San Diego's Geisel Library is aiming to go carbon-free by 2025
We spend 90% of our time in the buildings where we live and work, shop and conduct business, in the structures that keep us warm in winter and cool in summer.
But immense energy is required to source and manufacture building materials, to power construction sites, to maintain and renew the built environment. In 2019, building operations and construction activities together accounted for 38% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, the highest level ever recorded.