The design and construction industries have made incredible progress in reducing carbon footprint, as described in a news bulletin  by Architecture2030 highlighting an encouraging decrease in Building Sector energy consumption. According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2013, Building Sector projections for energy consumption have declined annually since 2005, in spite of plans to add over 60 billion square feet (a 22.6% increase!) to our building stock by 2030. According to the bulletin, “What this means is, we have no need to add more electricity generating capacity – additional power plants – to service the Building Sector today, or in the near future…It is clear that the Building Sector is tracking ahead of the 2030 Challenge reduction targets with unstoppable momentum. We’re vigorously addressing today’s critical issues of energy security and environmental stewardship.” How has this happened?  We think it’s because architects like challenges, know how to solve problems, and embrace change easily.

However, an article in the Boston Globe this weekend reported that we hit 400ppm of CO2, indicating that the planet continues to speed toward massive climate change despite the efforts of many.  This unfortunate milestone demonstrates that other industries, especially energy production and the auto industry, need to follow the lead of architects and engineers and embrace radical changes that will turn the dial on CO2 production.

To read the Boston Globe article, click here: http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/science/2013/05/10/carbon-dioxide-levels-set-record-greenhouse-gas-milestone/sQfgWHwS2JvYHZX8oaCcVI/story.html

To read the full 2030 article, click here: http://www.architecture2030.org/enews/printerfriendly/news_050713.pdf

To learn more about Architecture2030, visit: http://architecture2030.org/