EVALUATING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF WOOD BUILDINGS

摘要

Worldwide, there has been increasing focus on the carbon footprint of buildings and recognition that design professionals are uniquely positioned to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by creating high-performance structures. According to Architecture 2030, which was established more than a decade ago in response to the climate change crisis, buildings are "the problem." The building sector consumes nearly half of all energy produced in the United States, 75 percent of the electricity produced is used to operate buildings, and, in 2010, the building sector was responsible for nearly half of U.S. carbon dioxide (CO_2) emissions. However, buildings also offer a solution. By 2035, approximately 75 percent of the nation's building stock will be either new or renovated (from a 2010 baseline). This transformation offers a significant opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment.