Architects Pledge Zero Carbon Emissions by Buildings

The International Union of Architects (UIA), representing about 1.3 million architects worldwide, has pledged to phase out carbon emissions by buildings by 2050.

The 2050 Imperative, unanimously adopted at the UIA World Congress in Durban, South Africa, commits member organizations to advocacy and promotion pertaining to planning and design of carbon neutral cities, towns, urban developments and new buildings; engaging in research and setting targets towards meeting the 2050 goal; and developing and delivering equitable access to the information and tools to deliver these objectives.

Urban areas are responsible for more than 70 percent of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions, mostly from buildings, and over the next two decades an area roughly equal to 60 percent of the world’s total building stock is projected to be built and rebuilt in urban areas.

The UIA says this provides an opportunity to reduce fossil fuel CO2 emissions by setting the global building sector on a path to end all building-related CO2 emissions.

Green building is cost effective, and any upfront additional costs for building green are recouped in one to two years on average — with exponential cost savings thereafter, according to a July article in HPAC Engineering.