The federal Council on Environmental Quality will ask agencies to include climate change when evaluating new projects.
Agencies must quantify the climate impacts of their decisions, when possible. The directive also asks decision-makers to consider alternative ways to approach or design a project that could better prepare the U.S. for a changing climate.
Some federal agencies had been considering the impact on climate change when making decisions. They tended to operate from earlier draft guidance, and did not always apply them uniformly, though.
New guidance suggests trying to calculate how many carbon dioxide emissions a new project, permit, or other agency action would cause. It also may involve calculating how much carbon may be sequestered as the result of a decision.
Related Stories
Sustainability | May 12, 2021
Climate modeling for a resilient business and future
This post explores changes that developers and their teams need to make to their risk and resilience strategies by climate modeling for climate change.
Sustainability | Apr 23, 2021
AIA honors exceptional designs with its COTE Top Ten Awards
Projects integrate high design with advanced performance in ten key areas.
Industry Research | Apr 9, 2021
BD+C exclusive research: What building owners want from AEC firms
BD+C’s first-ever owners’ survey finds them focused on improving buildings’ performance for higher investment returns.
Sustainability | Mar 9, 2021
First-of-its-kind Starbucks built in just six days
The store is set to open in Canada in mid-March.
Daylighting | Mar 7, 2021
Texas intermediate school lets the sun really shine in
Solatube tubular daylighting devices bring sunlight into the two-story commons/media space for 600 students in grades 3-5 at Sunnyvale Intermediate School.
Resiliency | Mar 2, 2021
Elizabeth River Project's Resilience Lab set to break ground this year
Work Program Architects is designing the project.
Building Owners | Feb 4, 2021
The Weekly show, Feb 4, 2021: The rise of healthy buildings and human performance
This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors speak with AEC industry leaders from Brookfield Properties, NBBJ, and UL about healthy buildings certification and improving human performance through research-based design.
Sustainability | Jan 19, 2021
Buildings as carbon banks
Leveraging design to reduce our carbon impact.
Sustainability | Dec 17, 2020
McDonald’s Disney-Flagship positions itself to be world’s first net-zero quick-service restaurant
Ross Barney Architects designed the project.
