The Europa building, headquarters of the European Council in Brussels. Its facade is made of a patchwork of wooden frames recovered from building sites across the European Union. temperature has become more pronounced. At the current pace, the threshold of a 1.5°C global temperature rise compared to preindustrial levels will, in all probability, be crossed at some point between 2021 and 2040. While this is a frightening prospect, experts believe there is still time for change. “Adapting to climate change is possible if global warming is limited to 1.5°C or 2°C [by the year 2100, as envisaged in the Paris Agreement signed in 2015 by 197 parties, including the European Union].” Taking immediate action So how can the climate change tipping point be avoided? By continuing our efforts to change our practices and by investing in adapting our built environment, so the world can avoid the need for much greater investment in the future. We need to accelerate action to protect the world’s populations from the effects of climate-related upheavals, while intensifying our efforts to address the root cause: the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This is an issue of the utmost urgency. Even if the objective of a maximum rise of 2°C now seems difficult to achieve, given that in 2022 the global temperature had already increased by 1.15°C compared to preindustrial (1850-1900) levels. We should act, but how? Well, within the context of an increasingly urbanized world, the actors within the construction industry have the power to design tomorrow’s buildings for a society that is more mindful of preserving the delicate equilibrium of the natural world. © Alamy Stock Photo/Santi Rodriguez 10 SAINT-GOBAIN
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