Built Environment & Transportation
The built environment and transportation are significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions, but they can also be a key part of the solution to climate change.
The coming decades present a host of challenges for our built environments. To become more livable for more people, cities themselves will need to become smarter, with buildings, bridges and infrastructure that are no longer static but dynamic, able to adapt and respond to what’s going on around them.
Building Green, Traveling Clean
The built environment and transportation sectors are pivotal in addressing climate change, accounting for a combined 60% of global carbon emissions. Buildings and infrastructure consume nearly 40% of energy, while transportation consumes approximately 30%. These sectors offer significant opportunities for emissions reduction.
By prioritizing energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy integration, and sustainable urban planning, we can significantly reduce emissions and energy consumption. Additionally, investing in public transit, cycling, and electric vehicles can decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and improve air quality. Through strategic action in these areas, we can create a more sustainable, equitable, and resilient future for generations to come.
“The combined effect of a city’s significant climate change contributions—as well as its considerable exposure and vulnerability of urban residents to its impacts—positions cities at the core of the challenge to address climate change.”
Built Environment & Transportation Climate Solutions
Accelerator Projects
Biomaterials and Nature-Based Solutions: Achieving a Sustainable, Decarbonized, and Climate-Resilient Built Environment
This project highlights research at the intersection of building materials, nature-inspired materials design, and the social, environmental, and global impact of the built environment on the climate crisis.
Impact
NASA-funded research seeks to address vulnerability to extreme heat in cities
A NASA-funded project will support the development of an internet-based design and planning-decision support platform that will help equitably address urban heat management at the building, neighborhood and city scales.
Penn State collaborating on a study of climate change impacts and adaptation
The program will study the impacts of climate change in three major U.S. cities — Baltimore, Chicago and Austin — to make climate science work for cities.