DIALOG has proudly included our name as a signatory on the 1.5^oC COP26 Communiqué – an open letter to sovereign governments demonstrating our practice’s commitment to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5^oC carbon budget and demanding governments do the same.

The release of the 1.5^oC COP26 Communiqué comes on the heels of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in Glasgow, Scotland, October 31 – November 12, where government and business leaders from around the world will converge to discuss the continued cooperation among nations to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the threat of climate change.  

Our signature is joined by more than 60 of the largest and most influential international architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, planning, and construction firms, collectively responsible for over $300 billion in annual construction, along with two dozen organizations representing over one million building industry professionals worldwide, to challenge leaders to step up their emissions reduction targets for the built environment. 

DIALOG is doing our part to significantly reduce GHG associated with our built work.  This includes industry commitments like the American Institute for Architects (AIA) 2030 Challenge and the Structural Engineers (SE) 2050 Challenge to achieve net zero emissions for building operations and embodied carbon emissions respectively.

The window of opportunity to take decisive action to limit global warming and avoid the worst impacts of climate change is closing. According to a new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), unless there are immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in GHG emissions, limiting warming to 1.5oC will be beyond reach.

Buildings are the largest source of the world’s carbon emissions globally and account for approximately 40% of total emissions, and when accounting for the embodied carbon of building interiors, systems and associated infrastructure, that percentage is substantially higher. Decarbonizing the built environment is therefore essential if we are not to exceed the 1.5oC target.  

The time for action is now. As nations meet at COP26, they have the opportunity to commit to higher emissions reductions goals that align with the 1.50C target.