Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief by RMI provides recommendations for municipalities to increase material circularity in the buildings sector to reduce embodied greenhouse gas emissions. It focuses on two primary objectives: incentivizing the direct reuse of building structures and materials, and increasing the diversion of construction and demolition (C&D) waste from landfills to be used as recycled content in new manufacturing.

This scoping paper by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the challenges and priorities for cities in decarbonizing the buildings sector to reach net zero carbon. It examines the drivers of building stock growth, technical mitigation solutions, and the financial instruments and policies required to scale these solutions, with specific deep dives into Nigeria and Indonesia.

This policy brief, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in June 2022, analyzes the environmental and socio-economic impacts of the global construction and buildings value chain. It emphasizes that decisions made during the early stages of planning and finance heavily dictate the sustainability outcomes of the entire chain. The document advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach involving regulations, green public procurement, and urban planning to transition toward net-zero emissions and higher material efficiency.

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) summarizes a panel discussion on reducing upstream greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials, plastics, and food, with a primary focus on the built environment and the transition toward a circular economy.

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing embodied carbon (EC)—emissions from the procurement, manufacturing, construction, and disposal of building materials—is essential for India to meet its COP26 climate commitments. The document highlights that while operational emissions are often the focus, the rapid growth of India's urban construction and the energy-intensive nature of its steel, cement, and brick industries present a significant risk of locking in high emissions for decades.

This case study by RMI examines the necessity of shifting building carbon regulations from a focus on operational emissions to a full life-cycle approach. It highlights the Meishan Near-Zero Carbon Zone in Ningbo, China, as a leading example of implementing life-cycle assessment (LCA) standards and a whole-process management mechanism to achieve deep decarbonization in urban development.

This preliminary report-out documents the outcomes of the Transformation to Zero Summit held on October 15, 2016. Convened by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and Architecture 2030, the summit aimed to establish a roadmap for achieving a zero carbon built environment by 2050 through industry collaboration, policy levers, and investment in building efficiency and renewable energy.

This research paper evaluates the potential economic impact of Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs) on Chinese exports, specifically focusing on proposed schemes from the United States and the European Union. Using 2007 input-output tables and IPCC methodology, the authors analyze how different carbon pricing, product coverage, and emission calculation methods (direct vs. embodied) affect the vulnerability of various industrial sectors.

This research paper details the calculations and data sources used by Green Footstep, an online tool designed to assess and reduce carbon emissions from building construction projects. The methodology focuses on achieving carbon neutrality by ensuring that the net carbon stored on a project site by the end of its analysis period is equal to or greater than the carbon stored in its native state.

This case study describes the design and performance of the Global Ecology Center (GEC) at Stanford University, an 11,000-square-foot laboratory facility. Using the '10xE' integrative design approach by Factor Ten Engineering, the project achieved significant energy and resource savings through passive design, innovative cooling systems, and strategic spatial planning, resulting in a building with nearly half the operating costs of a comparable existing facility.

This guidance document from the Climate Bonds Initiative provides a framework for companies in the Low-carbon Buildings Sector to account for and report Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It aligns the GHG Protocol Corporate Value Chain Standard with the specific needs of the building and construction value chain, identifying target reporting categories for various stakeholders such as developers, asset managers, and architecture firms.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) discusses gaps in life-cycle assessments (LCAs) used to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. It argues that current LCAs may misdirect decarbonization efforts due to data gaps, lack of transparency, and the omission of biogenic carbon emissions from wood products.

This briefing describes a Canadian study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) that identifies critical gaps in Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) used to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. The study warns that current LCAs may mislead decision-makers by omitting biogenic carbon from wood products and ignoring regional variability, potentially resulting in suboptimal decarbonization efforts for buildings.

This fact sheet provides guidance for designers and specifiers on reducing embodied carbon in the built environment through strategic design, material substitution, and specification.

This policy brief from RMI outlines the role of policymakers in reducing embodied carbon in the built environment, emphasizing the use of regulations, incentives, and standards to drive private-sector reductions and stimulate market demand for low-carbon materials.

This fact sheet from RMI provides guidance for real estate developers on reducing embodied carbon—the emissions associated with building materials and construction—which accounts for at least one-quarter of the energy-related global carbon emissions attributed to buildings.

This case study details the planned zero-carbon deep energy retrofit of Hano Homes, a 20-apartment affordable housing property in Boston, MA. The project aims to achieve Phius certification by implementing a superinsulated exterior shell, transitioning to all-electric mechanical systems, and installing a rooftop solar array to reach net-zero energy operations.