LEED Progress Not Enough to Curb Climate Change

The recently released Green Building Impact Report shows cautious optimism for green non-residential buildings in the U.S., indicating that LEED standards alone will not make enough impact to tackle climate change.

According to the report, reducing the carbon footprint of buildings 80% by 2050 would require an estimated 1.6% average reduction per year. Although LEED standards are helping to make a dent in climate change, the report indicates the entire building sector would need to achieve the same goal to make a significant impact. Among the report's recommendations for getting there is the need for larger and more frequent improvements in building energy codes, including a call to expedite and heavily push adoption of ASHRAE Standard 189, which will institute a national green building standard. See the report's section on Energy Impacts for a complete discussion.

The report, coauthored by Rob Watson, executive editor of GreenerBuildings.com, and Elizabeth Balkan, is the first integrated assessment of LEED's impact on energy, water, land, materials, and indoor environmental quality. It is also the first to examine the impact green buildings have had on the environment.

For more details, see the full report.