A New Study Claims Buildings Can Cut Energy Use by 60%

A new study released on April 27 by Geneva, Switzerland-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development says buildings can reduce energy use by 60% by 2050—essential to meeting global climate-change targets. However, only a “major coordinated and global effort” will enable the 60% reduction target to be achieved, says the group’s president, Bjorn Stigson. Among the WBCSD report’s recommendations are strengthening building codes and energy labeling and using subsidies and price signals to incentivize energy-efficient investments. The report, “Transforming the Market: Energy Efficiency in Buildings,” can be found at www.wbcsd.org.