Buildings account for 40 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. From houses and hospitals to schools and offices, buildings in the United States use about 40 percent of the country's energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and other operations. It is estimated that the manufacture, transport, and assembly of building materials such as wood, concrete, and steel account for another eight percent of energy use. About 30 percent of the electricity buildings use is generated from coal-burning power plants, which release greenhouse gases, causing climate change.
The landmark IPCC 2021 report warns of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts and flooding, and a key temperature limit being broken in just over a decade. The report "is a code red for humanity," says the UN chief, but scientists say a catastrophe can be avoided if the world acts fast. The total cost of natural disaster damages neared $50 billion in September 2020 in the United States alone, already surpassing the total cost for all of 2019. One-third of all homes in the US are considered at high risk of a natural disaster, resulting in many homeowners bearing the brunt of costly repairs.
