DOE has rescinded the federal zero-emissions building definition, ending its support and leaving states, cities, and owners without a consistent benchmark for emerging energy and carbon standards.
Suppliers are beginning to offer concrete and cement products with reduced carbon content, but roadblocks remain in the way of widespread market penetration.
As construction strives to meet emissions standards, a persistent obstacle is the carbon-intensive process that produces cement. But the emergence of low-carbon solutions to help change the calculus of cement’s creation seems to have hit a tipping point.
What to do about natural gas will be one of the biggest challenges facing a new state-appointed commission on decarbonizing the building sector in the Bay State.
Environmental advocacy group Mighty Earth’s call to action to reduce the carbon footprint of structural-steel production is well intended but naive, say construction and steel-sector firms.