CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: Among all human activities

contributing to climate change, the built environment, particularly the construction and operation of buildings impact is significant, central, and affects the environment in multiple dimensions. Since buildings are the largest consumers of energy, they are one of the principal contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. The building sector consumes over 49 % of all energy produced in the United States. Of all the electricity produced in the United States, 77 % is used just to operate buildings. Globally, these percentages are even greater. Building and construction activities consume 3b tons of raw materials each year. Materials utilized in buildings tend to have a high level of embodied energy, high levels of toxins and pollutants at the end of production, as well as higher levels of emissions. Given the size of its contribution to the problem, the building sector has considerable capacity to reduce greenhouse gases and diminish global warming. This problem presents architects, as the primary designers of the built environment, an immense opportunity and a central role in solving the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability