“Powering Down: How Energy Efficiency in Buildings Can Light Up D.C.’s Future”

By Francesca A. Luthard, Editor of Policy and Politics

 

    What if the solution to Washington D.C.’s energy crisis was hidden in plain sight, in the walls and windows of our buildings? With energy efficient buildings and investment in sustainable infrastructure, D.C. can be not only the nation's capital but a beacon of sustainability and innovation. creating a thriving economy and a healthy ecosystem.

 

    Iconic government edifices, residential and commercial complexes form the very backbone of D.C.'s infrastructure. Yet they are also huge energy-suckers, contributing 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 12 percent of total water consumption. Washington D.C. should look to retrofit its existing building that are the contributors to energy waste in order to make them more efficient. Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary note that at its core, maintaining and repurposing old buildings provides substantial environmental benefits. This approach is one of the most sustainable actions a community can undertake, more so than constructing or buying new buildings marketed as the green future, which is why community members should urge leaders to take more thoughtful and conservative steps to improve edifices.

 

    With energy-efficient buildings, utility bills are lowered for businesses and residents which sequentially, returns money to consumers as it invests money in the economy. Another demand for energy efficiency comes from the new job market it creates. From construction workers retrofitting old buildings to engineers who design hyper-specific technology in management systems, investing in skilled labor is investment in the city’s future.

Amongst the benefits of energy-efficient buildings are an improvement in indoor air quality, better temperature control, and a reduction in noise pollution. Healthier living and working environments should be improved to reduce medical costs and also to improve productivity. By embracing energy efficiency, D.C. can serve as a model for how all of the urban centers it symbolizes can thrive sustainably. Amongst the benefits of energy-efficient buildings are an improvement in indoor air quality, better temperature control, and a reduction in noise pollution. Healthier living and working environments should be improved to reduce medical costs and also to improve productivity.

 

    There are a number of realistic and high-impact approaches pave this route to energy efficiency. Retrofitting existing structures with the latest, energy-saving technologies including the installation of LED lighting, increasing insulation, and upgrading HVAC systems. The Environmental Protection Agency states that in the case of new buildings, something we want to keep to a minimum, implementation of green building standards like Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ensures energy efficiency becomes a built-in component of the way such structures are designed and operated from their very inception.

 

    The District of Columbia has taken a lot of positive steps in the direction of the efficiency of energy. The Clean Energy DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2018 set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse emissions and increasing sustainable initiatives with a focus on low income efficiency, something residents of the District should look support and urge the mayor to

endorse. What follows are the tightening of building codes, providing incentives for

energy-efficient upgrades, and raising public awareness on the advantages of energy efficiency.

 

    An Energy Efficient D.C. is a collaborative effort by the public and the private sector.

The government and policymakers have to provide great incentives and encouragement for energy efficiency projects. According to the Department of Energy, owners can be encouraged to invest in energy-efficient features by being provided with either tax credits or granted or

low-interest loans. At the same time, the companies and the residents will have to embrace the change in efficiency and expectations of productivity, realizing the interest of the investment in the long run, and connect with local groups that have similar interests and investments.

Educational drives and community engagements have to be made for ensuring a culture where energy efficiency is appreciated and encouraged by all.

 

    Powering down our energy consumption through efficiency measures is more than an environmental imperative- it is a chance to redefine D.C.'s future. Through energy efficiency in buildings, the path forward can be lit toward a more sustainable, prosperous, livable city. The time to act is now, on behalf of and for the sake of our city and the generations ahead as well. Washington, D.C. has the potential of setting a precedent for cities across the entire globe, showing that creating wealth and caring for the environment can coexist.

 

    Francesca A. Luthard is a student at the George Washington University graduating in International Affairs and Environmental Studies. This Op-Ed is to appear in the Sustainability Journal at the George Washington University.

 

References

 

Assefa, G., & Ambler, C. (2017). To demolish or not to demolish: Life cycle consideration of repurposing buildings. Sustainable Cities and Society, 28, 146–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2016.09.011

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Council of the District of Columbia. (2018). Clean Energy DC Omnibus Act of 2018. D.C. Law Library. https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/22-257

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Department of Energy. (2022). Making our homes more efficient: Clean energy tax credits for consumers | Department of Energy. Energy.gov. https://www.energy.gov/policy/articles/making-our-homes-more-efficient-clean-energy-tax

-credits-consumers

 

Environmental Protection Agency. (2011, September). Going Beyond Codes: A guide for creating effective green ... Building Technologies Program. https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2021-09/us-doe-code-guide-creating-effectiv e-green-building-programs-energy-efficient-sustainable-communities.pdf

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Keeley, M., & Benton-Short, L. (2019). Urban Sustainability in the US: Cities take action. Palgrave Macmillan.










 

“The Necessity for Net-Zero Corporate Carbon Emissions”

By Christopher M. Coulter, Editor of Corporate Responsibility

 

    In 2009, heads of state and government gathered together in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and at this summit, the necessity for aggressive climate control action was central to their discussions. In their report, they underscored the drastic effects that climate change poses to the international community in the event that the increase of global temperatures rises to 2℃ above pre-industrialist levels. Just nine years later, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convened to develop a new report which emphasized the same need for significant climate action, but presented a more stringent threshold of only a 1.5℃ increase in global temperatures relative to pre-industrialist levels. The report cites specific climate events that could occur should the global temperatures surpass a 2℃ increase, including drought and precipitation deficits in some regions, as well as extreme weather events such as cyclones and hurricanes in others. The United Nations has stated that a 45 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 2010 levels by 2030 is required to prevent global temperatures rising above 1.5℃, but as of 2023, there will be a 9 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

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    Rebecca Lindsey of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration asserts that the average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration globally in 2023 was 419.3 parts per million, citing an increase of 2.8 parts per million from 2022. Moreover, the NOAA Global Monitoring Lab found that “in 2021 carbon dioxide alone was responsible for about two-thirds of the total heating influence of all human-produced greenhouse gases.” It is clear that carbon emissions have a dramatic impact on the rising global temperatures, and therefore reduction in its emissions is a key element to slowing the pace of climate change to adhere to the 1.5℃ to 2℃

guidelines set forth by both IPCC mandates.

 

    One of the major pillars to achieving carbon emission neutrality is by targeting the primary emitters: private enterprise. According to Mona Haddad of the World Bank, a group of 157 large multinational enterprises account for 60 percent of global industrial emissions. Therefore, by encouraging large multinational corporations to cut their emissions of carbon, it would mean a significant reduction in overall emissions worldwide. In the United States, there are discussions of the implementation of carbon pricing and carbon taxes that would result in “those responsible for the damages caused by greenhouse gas emissions [paying] for those damages” with the primary objective of changing corporate behavior. Policies such as carbon taxes are designed to incentivize major emitters like multinational corporations to achieve

net-zero carbon emissions, meaning the total amount emitted by the polluter is offset by the amount of carbon they remove from the atmosphere. In the last six years, there have been nine legislative attempts to implement carbon taxes but none have been successful in terms of passage and implementation. Environmental economists have conducted significant analysis on what is known as a Pigouvian Tax, wherein the government implements a per unit tax on emissions. This forces the producer to internalize the external effects of emissions, and in doing so would encourage the firms to reduce their carbon footprint as to avoid paying further taxation in damages.

 

    Firms and multinational corporations have already begun examining loopholes in the potential implementation of carbon taxes insofar as they can achieve net-zero emissions without changing their daily or long-term operations. In 2023, the Asset Management division of J.P. Morgan Chase announced that they had purchased over 250,000 acres of commercial timberland in the southeastern United States, valued over $500 million. Although it appears to be an initiative to protect forestry in the United States from industrial behemoths, they can now use these forests which naturally photosynthesize and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to offset their industrial emissions. Thus, they can achieve net zero emissions without actually hampering their bottom line.

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    The risks of climate change are indisputable, and inaction will inevitably lead to disastrous consequences to our planet and our livelihood. The implementation of ironclad climate policies is necessary to achieve net-zero carbon emissions and to slow the pace of rising temperatures worldwide. The United States has served as the beacon of change since its inception during the American Revolution, and remains as an entity that nations globally look to for guidance. If the United States begins the charge to combat carbon emissions, the world will follow.

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    For me, I would like to enable my children and their children to live in a world better than the one I live in today, as has been the case for centuries of mankind. If we, the human race, do not take decisive action to combat the rapid pace of climate change, we risk not our own livelihoods, but the livelihoods of our descendants. It is the responsibility of this generation of humans to protect this planet that we are so fortunate to inhabit, and to promote its climate health.

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Bibliography

 

International Monetary Fund. Carbon Taxes: Their Macroeconomic Effects and Prospects for Global Adoption - A Survey of the Literature. WP/98/73. Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund, 1998.

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IPCC. Summary for Policymakers: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report.Cambridge University Press, 2018, 3–24.

 

J.P. Morgan Asset Management. "J.P. Morgan’s Campbell Global Acquires Over 250,000 Acres of Commercial     Timberland Valued at More Than $500 Million." J.P. Morgan Asset Management, February 1, 2023.

https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/about-us/media/press-releases/jp-morgans-campbell-global-acquires-over-250-000-acres-of-commercial-timberland-valued-at-more-than-500-million.

 

Kaufman, Noah. What You Need to Know About a Federal Carbon Tax in the United States.Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, April 2, 2019. https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/publications/what-you-need-to-know-about-a-federal-carbon-tax-in-the-united-states.

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Lindsey, Rebecca. "Why Large Multinational Firms Hold the Key to Accelerating Countries' Decarbonization Strategies." World Bank Blogs, September 14, 2023. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/psd/why-large-multinational-firms-hold-key-accelerating-countries-decarbonization-strategies.

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Climate Change: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide." Climate.gov. Accessed September 22, 2024.

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-atmospheric-carbon-dioxide.

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United Nations. Copenhagen Accord, FCCC/CP/2009/L.7, 18 December 2009. Conference of the Parties, Fifteenth session, Copenhagen, 2009.

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United Nations. "Net Zero Coalition." United Nations Climate Change. Accessed September 22, 2024. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/net-zero-coalition.