This Week’s News for LA’s Best Buildings
Buildings and Climate Change Mitigation: Mutually Beneficial
Even before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, real estate developers, owners and managers understood the value of “healthy buildings.” With the advent of the pandemic, buildings with “wellness” features could upgrade to higher-efficiency air filters, offer outdoor spaces and courtyards and provide an overall safe environment for tenants.
According to the Urban Land Institute, COVID-19 is just the beginning of upcoming challenges. In its recently released “Greening Buildings for Healthier People” report, the ULI pointed out that “developers, owners and operators will have to confront climate impacts, the rise of chronic disease, and the long-term effects of the pandemic . . .”
Four Lessons for Cities in the Latest IPCC Report
The latest IPCC report cannot emphasize enough that what cities do in the next decade matters. Urban populations are projected to increase from 55 to 68 percent of the world’s population, while greenhouse gas emissions in cities are already substantial and continue to rise. Despite cities’ significant contribution to climate change, the IPCC finds that they also represent a huge opportunity for ambitious climate action — if swift and aggressive measures are taken.
Volts Podcast: Rob Harmon on How to Scale Up Energy Efficiency
“Like everyone else, I’ve been thinking a lot about the war in Ukraine. I don’t have much expertise in foreign affairs, so unlike every other pundit on the planet, I’ve mostly chosen to keep my hot takes to myself.
One aspect of the conflict, however, overlaps with my interests. Everyone seems to agree that the top priority going forward is to wean the West off of Russian oil and gas. As usual, such discussions are dominated by supply-side considerations — how to find the oil and gas elsewhere.
But as all good energy nerds know, the fastest and cheapest way to use less oil and gas is … to use less oil and gas — to reduce demand, not frack more.“
A Deeper Dive into 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy
Last week, the EnergyTag initiative released standards designed to lay the groundwork for a global system that tracks and trades clean energy on an hour-by-hour basis — in other words, a standard for 24/7 carbon-free energy.
For the growing number of corporate energy buyers, clean-energy producers and energy-trading entities already shifting from annual to hourly clean-energy accounting, that kind of standard can’t come too soon.
What to Do About Gas Prices: Electrify!
When Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up gasoline prices, members of Congress from oil and gas producing states called for increased fossil fuel production. In his March 31 speech, President Biden also seemed to put most of his emphasis on increasing the oil supply. But a growing number of voices are saying that we should use this occasion to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible.
Image via Connect CRE