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Architecture - news about - Green Building

The following excerpts are taken from An Open Letter to Architects by Ed Mazria,
published at the web site www.architecture2030.com.

"The scientific consensus is that we must limit the rise in global temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels to avoid disasterous consequences..." At 2 degrees Celsius it is likely that: millions of people will be displaced from homes food production will decline rivers become too warm for trout and salmon snowpack will decrease, threatening urban water supplies weather will become more extreme sea levels will rise, inundating coastal areas the Greenland ice sheet will begin to melt coral reefs will be destroyed a quarter of all plant and animal species will become extinct The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects we will reach 2 degrees Celcius (global temperature increase) by 2050. Buildings are responsible for half the USA's global warming emissions annually and the building sector's emissions are increasing at an alarming rate. Proposed ACTION STEPS are: FIRST All new buildings and major renovations should be designed to use half the fossil-fuel energy they would typically consume. SECOND This should be increased to 60% in 2010, 70% in 2015, 80% in 2020 and 90% in 2025 and be carbon neutral by 2030 (meaning using no fossil-fuel to operate).

Web Link - Architecture 2030 web site