Pitch
To mitigate climate change, it is necessary to create more efficient buildings, reducing GHG emissions without sustained behavior change.
Description
Summary
As climate change creates more extreme weather events even in places where they may not have struck before, it will become increasingly more difficult to restrict development to areas with a low likelihood of natural disaster. Therefore, we need to begin constructing homes that will not only help us mitigate climate change, but will also help us adapt to the changes in weather patterns that we are already beginning to see.
Climate Change Mitigation
Buildings are responsible for over a third of the United States' carbon dioxide emissions (1) and are therefore a key target for the reduction of greenhouse gas output. Buildings that are in the shape of a dome have been shown to use less energy (2), thereby decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the air.
The construction of buildings that are in the shape of a dome will not only help reduce energy use, but will also establish shelters that can withstand a variety of natural disasters, including high winds of 300 mph and even fire (2).
Category of the action
Building efficiency, Social Action
What actions do you propose?
The use of domes as the primary structure for living and working in would be ideal because this would allow them to be used on a daily basis, which has several advantages:
- There is less waste from having to build a dedicated tornado shelter that is only used in the rare event of disaster
- It is safer to have people already be in a safe shelter, instead of having to move to another part of the building, which could take more time and may not happen if the tornado happens at night, if residents happen to miss a tornado watch/warning, or if they do not take the warning seriously because they have become accustomed to false alarms (4).
- Shelters that are not used for long periods of time can be neglected and be unpleasant places to wait out a storm. Having them be used daily would avoid this problem.
Dome-shaped structures should be built:
- In areas that have been destroyed by tornadoes and other natural disasters
2. In pre-existing developments
3. In new developments
By:
