To help save the environment, focus on a better built environment Business leaders, U.S. mayors, even the head of Goldman Sachs agree that President Trump?s decision to pull out of the historic Paris accord to battle climate change is a terrible one, and have agreed to double down on efforts to combat global warming. Part of Trump?s rationale, that he was elected to ?represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris,? fell flat when the mayor of Pittsburgh said he supports the agreement.
It?s clear there?s a massive backlash over Trump?s decision, and many are looking for others to show leadership.
If any group leads the battle to fight climate change, it should be architects, who design the environment that we live in and can help make it more energy-efficient and sustainable. As the Chicago-based group Architects Advocate for Action on Climate Change put it:
?We are on the front lines addressing climate change in a meaningful and impactful way, facing current issues such as energy efficiency, water conservation, sustainable land use, resiliency, and adaptive reuse?
Designing more sustainable, resilient, and energy-efficient buildings can make a significant impact on emissions and climate change. According to architect Edward Mazria, who founded Architecture 2030, a group seeking to drastically cut carbon emissions from the built environment, buildings consume nearly half of the energy in the United States, more than transportation or industry. In any effort to mitig...