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 They tended to operate from earlier draft guidance, and did not always apply them uniformly, though.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
Sustainable Design and Construction | Nov 17, 2020
A digital catalog offers mass timber solutions for greener urban construction
Hybrid designs reconcile metropolitan growth and lower CO2 emissions.
Sustainability | Nov 11, 2020
Passive house design: A key to sustainable community building
Passive House is a high-performance building standard that emphasizes tightly insulated enclosures, heat recovery, and monitors airflow to reduce energy consumption.
Sustainability | Sep 30, 2020
U.S. Green Building Council, Green Business Certification Inc. expand resilience resources to support the green building industry
LEED and GBCI rating systems drive resilience-enhancing strategies to help businesses and governments mitigate climate risks.
Sustainability | Sep 29, 2020
Heatherwick Studio creates a new concept for San Francisco’s Piers 30-32
The new vision is dubbed The Cove.
Sustainability | Aug 13, 2020
The largest single sloped solar array in the country completes
The installation sits atop Pittsburgh’s Mill 19.
Sustainability | Aug 11, 2020
Sustainability is key for Denver Water’s modernized campus and distribution system
The utility is showcasing a new admin building and a water reuse plan that’s a first for the state.
Sponsored | Voice of the Brand | Jul 2, 2020
Solving the Building Envelope Challenge
Today, solutions for the building envelope need to meet exacting standards on two equally important fronts – long-term performance and enduring aesthetic appeal. In this article, CENTRIA demonstrates how its products meet the standard in two different scenarios – construction of a new hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, and the addition to a popular museum in Pittsburgh.
Sustainability | May 11, 2020
Watch Bjarke Ingels discuss Mars Science City, BIG's prototype Martian city in Dubai
Ingels believes designing for Mars will help us reach sustainability goals on Earth.
Multifamily Housing | May 8, 2020
'Lakehouse' is the first multifamily project in Colorado to receive WELL Precertification
Stantec and Muñoz + Albin are the project's architects.
Sustainability | Apr 28, 2020
Could a virtual 'city-forest' help solve population density challenges?
The project will house 200,000 people.
