By Abigail Sirevaag, Missouri Gateway Green Building Council Board Chair
2025 marks the 10-year anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement, where countries around the globe committed to curbing carbon emissions to achieve a 1.5-degree world. Many positive improvements have come since the initial signing, including the expansion of renewable energy capacity, setting of public emissions reduction goals, and expansive investments in innovative green technologies. Despite positive progress the world is not on track to reduce carbon emissions enough to reach the 1.5-degree goal, which signals that the climate will change even more dramatically than planned – BUT, the future can’t wait.
One local organization that is making an impact to reduce impact on the planet is the Missouri Gateway Green Building Council (MGGBC). 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the MGGBC, a non-profit that works collaboratively to accelerate the greening of buildings and communities; promoting environmentally responsible, prosperous, healthy, and equitable places to live, work, and learn. The building sector is one of the largest emitters of carbon due to the energy intensity involved in the procurement and manufacturing of building materials, the act of constructing buildings, and the energy needed to make a building function long-term. Buildings also have a tremendous impact on human health and well-being, as most people spend about 90% of their time indoors. Because of the urgency felt to make actionable progress in this pivotal moment within the building sector, the tagline of The Future Can’t Wait will be adopted for the MGGBC’s 25th anniversary year events as a reminder that professionals who plan, design, build, and operate buildings have the potential to move the needle on climate action.
In the past twenty-five years, the global building sector has worked diligently to become more climate conscious. The LEED Green Building Rating System has evolved to improve energy efficiency, drive the use of sustainably manufactured materials, and has encouraged the incorporation of renewable energy sources. Embodied carbon, which quantifies the total carbon impact of a product throughout its lifecycle from raw material extraction to disposal, has become a critical concept in the building industry. There has also been a growing focus over the last twenty-five years on reusing and rehabilitating existing buildings to be fresh and efficient spaces instead of demolishing and starting anew. The MGGBC will continue to advocate for positive change and innovation in the building industry, and act as a leader to drive climate action in the next twenty-five years because we know the future can’t wait.