ProjectSight Flipbooks

5 Pivotal Step to Reduce Embodied Carbon on Your Next Building Project

Issue link: https://construction.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1522147

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 1 of 9

2 ProjectSight White Paper 5 Pivotal Steps to Reduce Embodied Carbon on Your Next Building Project Contents Executive Summary How is our industry contributing to Climate Change? What is Operational Carbon? What is Embodied Carbon? 5 Steps to Reduce Embodied Carbon What Can General Contractors Do? What Can I Do As An Asset Owner? Conclusion References 2 Executive Summary Carbon reduction is no longer a choice—it is a necessity. While owners face significant barriers to reducing emissions, even small steps toward carbon reduction will have a pivotal impact around the world and could represent the tipping point between the success and failure of climate change mitigation efforts. Today, the building industry can lead the global community toward net-zero carbon emissions. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report, human-induced global warming reached approximately 1°C above pre-industrial levels in 2017 1 . If this trend continues and global temperatures rise past the 1.5°C mark, the damage to our ecosystems and our overall quality of life will become irreversible. The UN's 2019 report on climate change states that in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C or less, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced 45% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050 2 . This seems like a daunting task, but the alternative would be catastrophic to the environment and global economy. Beneath the lens of shareholder value, the benefits of going green are becoming clear. The rise of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing since 2005 has been significant. Today, ESG investing is estimated at $20 trillion or one-fourth of all professionally managed assets 3 . In addition, some studies estimate that stocks in sustainable companies significantly outperform their non- sustainable peers. The UN's 2019 report on climate change states that in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C or less, global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions must be reduced 45% by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. 3 4 4 5 7 8 9 10

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

view archives of ProjectSight Flipbooks - 5 Pivotal Step to Reduce Embodied Carbon on Your Next Building Project