A Two-Part Strategy for Dealing with Climate Change
Tackling climate change is ultimately going to require a two-part strategy: using less energy, both through changing our own behaviors and changing the buildings, transportation, and products in our lives – and switching to cleaner sources for the energy we do have to use. Both strategies are critical, but many experts (see for example this McKinsey analysis) tell us that the first strategy will get us the largest reductions in carbon emissions for the least cost, and can be implemented right away. Energy efficiency improvements do require up-front investment, which is why the entire world hasn’t already seized these money-saving opportunities. But if we’re looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint, using technologies that ultimately save money certainly seems like the place to start. One critical area is our buildings – both the construction of buildings and the ongoing heat and energy to use them represent a big chunk of the world’s emissions.
The U.S. Department of State, through its Greening Diplomacy Initiative, is committed to making those up-front investments to reduce our carbon emissions and lighten our environmental footprint. The designs for the new U.S. Embassy London, released earlier this year, incorporate top-of-the-line features in building sustainability, including:
- Rooftop solar panels as well as a crystal-like structure that will cover the south, west, and east walls, intended to simultaneously collect solar energy, insulate the building, and shade the interior while admitting daylight
- Design that optimizes daylight and reduces the need for artificial lighting
- Rainwater collection and on-site water treatment for reuse within the building
- Combined biomass-powered heating and power systems that will also help serve the neighborhood’s energy needs
And the design plans earned the highest possible ratings under the LEED and BREEAM systems for rating a building’s environmental sustainability. Not bad for one of the U.S.’s biggest embassies!
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