Construction regulators have been told by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) that the sector must cut carbon emissions and march quickly to net-zero.
Residential and commercial buildings account for roughly 29% of total US greenhouse gas emissions, and increased appliances and electronics usage is expected to result in a further net increase by 2050; energy use in total is expected to grow around 0.3 percent a year from 2016 to 2050.
Driving down residential and commercial building emissions brings greater energy efficiency, increased electrification for infrastructure, and reduced harm to the planet. The RMI has presented a framework that governments and states can follow as part of the 'Race to Zero.'
The RMI believes the first step is using holistic approaches to maximize progress in meeting shared objectives. Public utility commissions and other government bodies will need to form a vision, clarify roles, and coordinate policies and programs.
The institute also wants clear guidelines on alternative fuels. While proposals to decarbonize pipeline transported fuel have emerged worldwide, state regulators need to consider a few critical questions around availability, best use, and alternative fuel costs.
And governments will need to ensure there are larger workforces to install new equipment, perform efficiency upgrades, engineering and manufacturing new technical solutions, and expand electricity generation.
Finally, governments and states must manage transition away from employment focused on diminishing fossil fuel use (eg engineering and installing gas distribution infrastructure, installing gas appliances, and delivering oil).
Cityzenith's software platform SmartWorldOS™ can create virtual replicas of buildings and urban areas to track, manage and optimize carbon emissions and minimize environmental damage.
CEO Michael Jansen believes such tech will be essential for regulatory bodies to ensure carbon emissions are curbed and can work hand in hand with RMI's decarbonization framework:
"Despite only covering 3% of the Earth's surface, cities contribute to 70% of global carbon emissions while consuming 78% of the world's primary energy, of which we waste 67.5%. Smart tech innovations such as SmartWorldOS™ can provide the essential interconnectivity required to reduce these percentages.
"Handling massive data streams harnessed to cutting-edge AI, we have delivered custom climate resilience applications to greenfield cities, real estate developments, and infrastructure projects. We know the issues and can help solve them for those who design, build, and manage cities."
If you would like to hear more from Cityzenith CEO Michael Jansen, you can listen to him directly in an upcoming FREE webinar, ‘Investing in an AI Technology Platform For Sustainable Cities,' taking place virtually on Tuesday 13th and 20th of July at 13:00 CT. To learn more about using emerging tech to combat Climate Change, please sign up here.
