Capitol Hill

In January, scientists at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's National Climatic Data Center reported the 2006 average annual temperature for the contiguous U.S. was the warmest on record, surpassing the previous record set in 1998. Based on preliminary data, the 2006 annual average temperature was 55 F—two degrees higher than the 20th-century norm and 0.07 degrees higher than 1998.

U.S. and global annual temperatures now are about one degree warmer than at the start of the 20th century, a change many scientists attribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Warming has increased globally since the mid-1970s at a rate about three times faster than the century-scale trend, and the past nine years have been among the 25 warmest years on record for the contiguous U.S.—an unprecedented streak.

Three challenges

With springtime conditions in much of the U.S. this winter and Democrats gaining control of Congress, discussion of global warming and resulting policy challenges have a new sense of urgency.

The first challenge will be in the form of congressional hearings and ramped up pressure on the business community to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The second challenge is for the business community to get ahead of the regulatory curve to manage the new political climate successfully.

And the third challenge is for policymakers to craft proposals that will encourage the U.S. public and business sectors to embrace initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

The built environment

Policymakers, the media and public appear focused on revamping automobiles to solve our energy and climate-change problems. But a growing number of stakeholders in the building industry suggest that achieving real reductions in energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions requires turning a critical eye to the built environment.

The built environment represents the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption in the world. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says buildings account for an estimated 48 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions and 68 percent of electricity consumption. A vast majority of this energy is produced from non­renewable fossil-fuel resources.

Consequently, the National Institute of Building Sciences reports buildings generate 35 percent of carbon dioxide (the primary greenhouse gas associated with climate change), 49 percent of sulfur dioxide and 25 percent of nitrogen oxide found in the air. And if current trends continue, U.S. annual building energy consumption is projected to increase 37 percent and greenhouse emissions 36 percent during the next 20 years.

Seizing on this data, certain stakeholders with vested organizational and financial interests are pushing the greenhouse gas reduction envelope. In December 2005, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) passed a Sustainable Practice Position Statement that sets incremental goals for energy reduction in the built environment, starting with a 50 percent reduction by the year 2010.

In June 2006, the U.S. Conference of Mayors endorsed AIA's position statement and adopted the 2030 Challenge for city buildings, which urges mayors to commit to reductions of 10 percent every five years so that by the year 2030 all buildings designed will be carbon-neutral, using no energy derived from fossil fuels. And in November 2006, AIA, the U.S. Green Building Council and American Society of Heating, Refriger­ating and Air-Conditioning Engineers signed a joint statement calling for a carbon-neutral building sector by 2030.

Currently, the 2030 effort is voluntary, but some groups (building owners included) are concerned the initiatives will become part of building codes, placing them in an untenable position.

Contractors' role

What does this mean for the roofing industry? Given the stakeholders and decision makers in the building industry frequently complicate effective policy formulation, it's natural for contractors to view the 2030 Challenge warily. But a partnership based on sound policy and mutual economic advantage is emerging. By 2035, 75 percent of our built environment will be new or renovated. Regarding roofing, significant market potential exists.

Regardless of where you stand in the global warming debate, two things are clear: Global warming is real and the construction industry, roofing in partic­ular, can help curb energy use.

Craig Silvertooth is NRCA's director of federal affairs.