Reuters has the skinny on a new report on green building. The report concluded that building green would reduce greenhouse emissions more quickly than any other approach.
According to the article:
North America’s buildings release more than 2,200 megatonnes, or about 35 percent of the continent’s total, of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. If the construction market quickly adopted current and emerging energy-saving technologies, that number could be cut by 1,700 megatonnes by 2030, the report said.
Alas, there are “obstacles” preventing the rapid adoption of green building techniques:
One is the so-called split incentive policy, where those who construct environmentally-friendly buildings do not necessarily reap the benefits of using them.
Also, governments and other institutions separate capital and operating budgets instead of budgeting for the lifetime of a construction project, creating a disincentive to build “green,” the report found.
Oh well, I guess I’ll have to make do with a nice cozy place on the Street of Dreams until green building catches on. Uh, scratch that.
