Policy Proposal on Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Buildings
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2021-12
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Abstract
Climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions, is having profoundly negative impacts on the environment. A major source of U.S. climate-change-causing emissions are residential and commercial buildings. These structures produce greenhouse gas emissions directly by burning fossil fuels on site and additionally use a significant portion of energy created by power plants. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. buildings created 13% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2015; when factoring in energy used from power plants, buildings accounted for 40% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
This memorandum explores the history and background of residential and commercial building policy as it relates to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Then it proposes a bill to Congress named “The National Energy Efficiency Mobilization Act”, which uses four policies that would reduce this emissions source. These policies include: making the energy efficiency status of buildings over 25,000 square feet public, providing financial support to owners to make building improvements, allowing the Department of Energy (DOE) to set minimum building code standards, and authorizing the DOE to place a cap on emissions of large buildings if necessary. After careful policy and political analysis, I recommend to Brenda Mallory, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, that she help introduce and push this legislation in Congress, even though successful passage is unlikely, since the bill could ultimately help start an important conversation.
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environmental policy, energy efficiency, climate change, building codes