February 11, 2009—The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have expanded their partnership, with the goal of radically reducing CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment on a global scale.
The initial focus of the partnership is on accelerating efforts to drive efficiency in existing buildings. Homes, schools, offices and other buildings account for 38 percent of CO2 emissions globally, according to the U.N. Environment Program. In the US alone, the “low hanging fruit” in building efficiency could save the economy more than $160 billion by 2030, according to McKinsey & Company. Looking ahead, new program development is underway to rethink and redefine new building developments.
“Retrofitting buildings represents an immediate and measurable opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve our economy; they are a priority for my Climate Initiative which is encouraging retrofit projects around the world,” said former President Bill Clinton.
To date, the Clinton Climate Initiative’s Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program has helped partners to initiate more than 250 retrofit projects encompassing over 500 million square feet of real estate in more than 30 cities around the world.
