Synapse: This Week's News for LA’s Best Buildings
Carbon Capture, Hydrogen, Fission Or Fusion: Which Can Take Us To Net-Zero By 2050?
More than 110 countries and countless companies have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but can they get there with existing technologies? Probably not.
After the Texas freeze, people are asking: Is electrifying buildings risky?
“Electrify everything” is a rallying cry for the climate movement. Renovate buildings and redesign cars to run entirely on electricity, power them with renewable energy from the sun and wind, and bing, bam, boom, you’ve just knocked out a majority of the carbon entering the atmosphere. Cities all over California, as well as in Washington, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York, are heeding the call and passing or considering laws that limit gas-powered heating and cooking appliances in new buildings.
But last week, the energy crisis in Texas put the risks of electrifying everything in sharp relief. A severe winter storm and subfreezing temperatures knocked out power to millions of people for days. At least 32 people died either directly from the cold or from seeking warmth in dangerous ways. For some Texans, a gas stove provided a lifeline — a way to boil water and cook hot food.
The Secret Life of Materials
You are surrounded. Whether you’re reading this on your phone or computer, if you’re sitting in an office chair, on a park bench, or waiting for your coffee order, you’re likely surrounded by concrete, wood, and countless other familiar materials. We experience these materials every day, but we usually don’t know where they came from, how they were made, and where they’ll go when they’re replaced. What we experience is a short moment in a material’s life cycle, which encompasses a much longer time span. It’s a life cycle that includes the construction, transportation, manufacturing, and raw material extraction that occurs before we use the material for its intended purpose. It also includes the recycling or demolition and disposal that occurs when the material is replaced.
Webinar: ESG— A Material Risk or Opportunity?
Environmental, Social and Governance practices are no longer an emerging trend, but critical components of real estate investment.
Amy Erixon, Head of Global Investment Management, Avison Young, and Jack Davis, Managing Director, RE Tech Advisors, have an honest and open discussion, moderated by Theddi Chappell, CRE, on how ESG components collectively represent a prudent risk mitigation strategy that contributes to the long-term value creation which real estate has historically enjoyed.
