A Polar Vortex Of Misplaced Priorities

Millions without power and living conditions inside deteriorating rapidly as the temperature falls. The fossil fuel industry is calling for more fossil fuel production? The irony couldn’t go much deeper as the disaster is driven not just by the failure of fossil fuel production, but of course, that the industry is a big cause of the underlying climate disruption in the first place. They pile on spending tons of money, freezing-up the politics of real solutions. It’s a trifecta. It’s offering a bottle of whiskey, to a dying drunk, driving down the highway. I’m shocked, shocked!

Yet, what’s really depressing is how this catastrophe plainly shows that our building industry is ill-suited to take on the problems of climate disruption and resilience. The widespread building failures should be shocking to everyone.

While the fossil fuel media has fun making a strawman of renewable energy production – the bottom line is that fossil fuel interests will lose the fight. Renewables have left the barn and the horizon of an all renewables future is approaching fast.

But what about the buildings? What about the people? This disaster should be a wake-up call. The building industry has failed miserably, and we might argue is not learning the right lessons as it lurches toward the phantoms of net-zero or net-zero-ready buildings. Let’s ask four basic questions: Read More