Search Climate Insights Directory

Nigeria faces a significant cooling access gap, with 53 percent of its population at high risk from high temperatures. To address this, the country is implementing sustainable cooling initiatives, including the 2017 Nigeria Building Energy Efficiency Code, which prioritizes passive design and efficient building systems to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions.

The paper examines the 2021 climate disasters in the Fraser Canyon region, specifically the destruction of Lytton, to highlight the fragility of Canadian infrastructure. It presents the Kanaka Bar Indian Band's strategies for water, food, and shelter security as scalable examples of climate adaptation and resilience.

Embodied carbon, which accounts for 11 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, refers to the emissions released during the lifecycle of building materials. Reduction strategies include using carbon-storing materials like mass timber, adopting 3D printing and robotic automation, and implementing material efficiency through modular construction. In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act provides nearly $10 billion for reducing embodied carbon, while several states have adopted 'Buy Clean' laws. RMI research indicates that low-cost embodied carbon solutions can reduce emissions by 19 to 46 percent with cost premiums under 1 percent.

The document outlines how real estate developers, building owners, and tenants in India can transition to renewable energy to reduce Scope 2 and Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights various procurement mechanisms, including net metering, green tariffs, open access, and virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs). Using Lodha as an example, it discusses the challenges and opportunities for different user types, such as the limited rooftop space for residential tenants and the potential for commercial tenants to use open access or green tariffs. The text also emphasizes the importance of combining renewable energy with energy-efficient building design to achieve net-zero goals.

The report examines the role of the buildings sector in global GHG emissions, which account for 37% of energy-related emissions. It identifies key technical solutions for decarbonization, including reducing embodied carbon in materials and improving operational efficiency in heating and cooling. The document evaluates various financial instruments—ranging from traditional mortgages to specialized on-bill financing—and policy tools like building codes and green labels. It emphasizes that the transition requires a network of instruments tailored to different building archetypes and regional contexts, providing specific deep dives into the unique challenges and opportunities in Nigeria and Indonesia.

The briefing advocates for redefining thermal comfort in buildings by moving away from monolithic central heating and cooling systems toward a model based on six variables: air temperature, air velocity, activity level, clothing level, surface temperature, and humidity. Using the ASHRAE 55 standard and the CBE Thermal Comfort Tool, designers can use the Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) metric to create more energy-efficient, occupant-centric environments. The author details the application of this approach at RMI's Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado, highlighting the necessity of Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) to manage the risks associated with passive design and the complexity of integrating multiple targeted systems. The document emphasizes that achieving such efficiency requires a paradigm shift in risk allocation, long-term system tuning, and active occupant engagement.

The document outlines strategies for Low Carbon, Climate Resilient (LCCR) construction in semi-arid regions, focusing on Madhya Pradesh, India. It examines the cyclic link between construction and climate change, detailing how the sector contributes to emissions through energy-intensive materials like steel and cement, while also being vulnerable to extreme weather. The manual provides technical guidance on passive design strategies—such as high thermal mass, cross-ventilation, and shading—to reduce operational energy. It further details alternative building technologies for walls (e.g., Stabilized Compressed Earth Blocks, Rat-trap Bond) and roofs (e.g., Filler Slabs, Ferrocement Channel Roofing) to lower embodied energy. Finally, it discusses policy frameworks in India and Madhya Pradesh aimed at promoting sustainable habitats and eco-friendly rural housing.

The workshop, held at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Bhopal, focused on bridging the knowledge gap for low carbon, climate resilient (LC-CR) solutions in rural and small-town contexts. It combined expert lectures on climate change, energy and carbon intensities, and passive design strategies with practical applications, including a site visit to the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) and a group design exercise for a demo centre. Key discussions highlighted the dual responsibility of the construction sector to both adapt to and mitigate climate change, the lack of regulations for embodied energy compared to operational energy, and the need to integrate alternative technologies into official Public Works Department (PWD) schedules of rates to ensure wider adoption.

The report examines post-disaster reconstruction and rural planning in Europe and Asia, with a specific focus on Punjab, Pakistan. It argues for a shift from reactive, top-down planning to decentralized, 'bottom-up' approaches that integrate Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). The document identifies key climatic risks for Punjab—primarily flooding and high temperatures—and proposes a suite of adaptive design options and low-carbon technologies to increase the resilience of buildings and infrastructure.

The report identifies significant financial, institutional, and skill-based barriers that prevent the scale-up of energy-efficient low-income housing in South Africa, despite the availability of simple passive thermal improvements and solar water heaters. It argues that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is an unsustainable model for these projects due to low carbon prices and dispersed savings. Instead, the author proposes 'Direct Support' mechanisms—including framework support for government institutions, project support for developers, and micro-finance/insurance models for homeowners—to provide upfront capital and capacity building. The paper also recommends establishing national energy performance standards and vocational training to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.

The authors argue that the built environment shapes human thought and behavior, often unintentionally reinforcing unsustainable patterns. They propose a three-part framework for 'crystallized pedagogy'—demonstration, experience, and involvement—to intentionally teach sustainability. The paper suggests that the most effective sustainable pedagogy internalizes externalities by giving occupants direct control and feedback, such as in off-grid or naturally ventilated buildings, and integrates biological diversity to foster an understanding of interconnectedness.

The LCCR Training Module Guide outlines a two-day workshop for building professionals in India, focusing on low carbon construction for rural areas and small towns. The curriculum covers global climate challenges, energy assessment, passive design, alternative materials, and policy linkages, concluding with practical application through site visits and group design exercises.

The document outlines how energy modeling can be transformed from a late-stage accounting tool into a strategic design driver. It advocates for an integrated design process where modelers engage from the concept phase to influence fundamental decisions on building size, orientation, and passive loads. By utilizing 'theoretical minimum' energy models and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), modelers can provide economic justifications for efficiency measures, potentially reducing both first costs and lifetime energy consumption.