Carbon emissions are what correlate to the greenhouse effect – the gradual warming of our planet. The continual releasing of carbon into the environment attributes daily to global warming.
The building industry makes up a visible percentage of all annual carbon emissions. Sutter Homes is committed to building zero-net-carbon homes by eliminating and reducing their greenhouse gas, embodied carbon, and operation carbon emissions.
Build zero-net-carbon homes while simultaneously providing an example to the building industry and help design future carbon neutral environments.
Illustration by Stacy Smedley of Skanska, pulled from carbonleadershipforum.org
Greenhouse Gas, often abbreviated as GHG, is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. This means that these gases trap energy from the sun, and cause the greenhouse effect. The most common gases are water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane.
Embodied carbon is the carbon that is released in the manufacturing, production, and transportation of building materials. According the the United National Environment Programme, 11% of total global greenhouse gas emissions are from the manufacture of building materials.
Operational carbon is the day-to-day use of carbon to heat and power a building, whether it be your home or your office. Operational carbon counts for 28% of annual GHG emissions.
This chart represents annual global GHG emissions. Building operations at 28% is operational carbon, and Building Materials and Construction at 11% is embodied carbon. All in all, the building industry contributes 39% of all global GHG emissions.
By continuing on with “business as usual,” embodied carbon will be responsible for nearly half of total new construction emissions between now and 2050. Every year, 6.13 billion square meters of buildings are constructed, and the embodied carbon emissions of this construction is around 3729 million metric tons of carbon per year.
Information from Architecture 2030.
Everything you do, whether it be drive to work, order a to-go coffee, take a shower, or heat your home, has a direct correlation to your personal carbon emissions. Use this comprehensive calculator to understand how your actions impact the environment.
Sutter Homes is passionate about reducing GHG emissions, in all ways possible. By constructing energy efficient, healthy homes, Sutter Homes is playing their part in turning the entire construction industry carbon-neutral.
As you’ve seen, going forward and using the “business as usual” standard in the construction industry will lead to irreversible effects. It takes data, science, and companies willing to up their standards to be able to reduce global GHG emissions.
