Other Authors: Marco Fornara

Executive Summary

In the United States, buildings account for approximately 40% of total primary energy consumption and about 30% of operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Further, approximately 80% of all buildings that will be standing in 2050 have already been built. Thus, while updating building codes to increase the efficiency of new buildings is essential to reducing GHG emissions, decarbonizing existing buildings is a key component of GHG emission reduction strategies.

Citations

Chang, Judy, Marco Fornara, and Rushabh Sanghvi. 2024. Financing Building Decarbonization: The Roles of Government and Private Sector Investors. Cambridge, MA: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Harvard Kennedy School. https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/Chang%20Fornara%20Rushabh_Building%20Decarbonization_Final_1.pdf.