Texans encouraged to 'decarbonize' buildings to fight climate change
This article originally appeared on the Public News Service on February 28, 2025.
By Freda Ross, Producer
School districts and county governments across Texas are being encouraged to consider building decarbonization to combat climate change.
The process reduces or eliminates carbon emissions in buildings by making energy efficiency improvements. According to a report by the Texas Climate Jobs Project, existing structures are a large contributor to carbon emissions, adding as much as 40% to the total worldwide.
Sandra Bustillos, the organization's carbon-free and healthy-buildings coordinator, said the report focuses on three main areas of improvement.
"There's the utility savings aspect of it," she said. "The next one is job creation, so we really [advocate] for the creation of high-quality, family sustaining jobs. And then lastly, we also discuss health benefits."
She said Americans spend 90% of their time inside buildings that have carbon emissions that could impact their heart and lungs. They found that retrofitting all the public schools in Texas could boost the economy by creating up to 84,000 jobs.
The report shows that making small changes like installing solar panels, upgrading windows and doors and enhancing insulation can improve building efficiency and reduce emissions. Bustillos says the impact of climate change has been evident in recent weather events across the state.
"Hurricane Beryl this past year or four years ago Winter Storm Uri. It had really deep impacts on our communities - whether that be environmentally, socially or financially. So, I think it's urgent to be thinking about the effects of climate change and it's also urgent to be thinking about how we can create resilient buildings. "
The report found that rising heat also threatens the local economy and natural resources. Experts warn that a changing climate is likely to reduce water availability in the state, which will impact farmers' ability to grow crops.