This event poster has reminded me that, every now and then, I probably need to pull out a cooler headshot. In any event, next week I'm going to be a guest on SvNSpeaks, along with John Lorinc, talking about the obstacles that overly prescriptive and rigid development policies are creating for our climate goals. This is obviously a really important topic. Because if we were singularly focused on reducing carbon emissions, we wouldn't be building the way we are building today.
This event poster has reminded me that, every now and then, I probably need to pull out a cooler headshot. In any event, next week I'm going to be a guest on SvNSpeaks, along with John Lorinc, talking about the obstacles that overly prescriptive and rigid development policies are creating for our climate goals. This is obviously a really important topic. Because if we were singularly focused on reducing carbon emissions, we wouldn't be building the way we are building today.
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just published its latest climate change report. Available here. As a follow-up to this report, Dezeen spoke with Hélène Chartier of the sustainable urbanism network C40 Cities. And she makes some very good points about the importance of cities in combatting climate change.
In fact, she goes so far as to say that sustainable living is only really possible, at scale, in cities. Because to live a more sustainable lifestyle, you need the right kind of infrastructure in place. And to have the right kind of infrastructure in place, you need density.
This crucial point is often forgotten (though never on this blog). If you are truly concerned about climate change, then you should be for urban density. And if you are out there fighting against urban density, then your actions are undermining this global imperative.
Chartier rightly points out that "architects have a huge responsibility" when it comes to addressing climate change. And this is entirely true. Their job is the built environment. But with all due respect to architects, the problems that need solving are ultimately much broader. Architects can only do so much if they're hamstrung by dumb land use policies and angry neighbors, among other things.
This needs to be a coordinated effort. We all have a huge responsibility.
Photo by Kaspars Upmanis on Unsplash
At the beginning of this year, I predicted that we would see the price of carbon continue to rise, and in particular the price of EU carbon permits. Well the year is still young but so far the opposite has been happening. Back in January, the price of EU carbon permits were hovering around €80 per tonne. Since Russia bullied its way into Ukraine at the end of February, this market has corrected and now hovers around €66 per tonne. Generally carbon prices tend to increase alongside energy prices, but the opposite dynamic is happening right now because of all of this geopolitical uncertainty. But over the long-term, I don't believe that this will remain true. So this feels like possible mispricing to me. Climate change may be a relatively less important issue in Europe right now, but it's not going away.
Chart: Trading Economics
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just published its latest climate change report. Available here. As a follow-up to this report, Dezeen spoke with Hélène Chartier of the sustainable urbanism network C40 Cities. And she makes some very good points about the importance of cities in combatting climate change.
In fact, she goes so far as to say that sustainable living is only really possible, at scale, in cities. Because to live a more sustainable lifestyle, you need the right kind of infrastructure in place. And to have the right kind of infrastructure in place, you need density.
This crucial point is often forgotten (though never on this blog). If you are truly concerned about climate change, then you should be for urban density. And if you are out there fighting against urban density, then your actions are undermining this global imperative.
Chartier rightly points out that "architects have a huge responsibility" when it comes to addressing climate change. And this is entirely true. Their job is the built environment. But with all due respect to architects, the problems that need solving are ultimately much broader. Architects can only do so much if they're hamstrung by dumb land use policies and angry neighbors, among other things.
This needs to be a coordinated effort. We all have a huge responsibility.
Photo by Kaspars Upmanis on Unsplash
At the beginning of this year, I predicted that we would see the price of carbon continue to rise, and in particular the price of EU carbon permits. Well the year is still young but so far the opposite has been happening. Back in January, the price of EU carbon permits were hovering around €80 per tonne. Since Russia bullied its way into Ukraine at the end of February, this market has corrected and now hovers around €66 per tonne. Generally carbon prices tend to increase alongside energy prices, but the opposite dynamic is happening right now because of all of this geopolitical uncertainty. But over the long-term, I don't believe that this will remain true. So this feels like possible mispricing to me. Climate change may be a relatively less important issue in Europe right now, but it's not going away.
Chart: Trading Economics
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