Notes on Sustainability Course - Fall 2025

Sustainability

Course Overview

  • Semester: Fall 2025

  • Module 03 Learning Objectives:

    • Urban Leadership: Explore how cities and communities act as leaders in climate impact and climate action.

    • Social Sustainability Assessment: Critically assess the presence or absence of social sustainability in urban sustainability efforts.

    • Examine Transportation and Building Systems: Analyze transportation and building systems as examples of sustainability or unsustainability in urban and built environments.

    • CSP Idea Pitch: Prepare both written and verbal presentations for the Campus Sustainability Project (CSP).

Module 03: Cities, Streets, & Buildings, Oh My

Week 02 Focus

  • Approach: A solutions-centered lens on transportation and buildings.

Transportation + Carbon

Global CO2 Emissions from Transport

  • 2018 Global Transport Emissions: Totaled 8 billion tonnes CO2.

  • Transport's Share of CO2 Emissions: Accounts for 24% of CO2 emissions from energy.

  • Breakdown of Transport Emissions:

    • 74.5% from Road Vehicles (includes cars, motorcycles, buses, taxis)

    • Road (passenger): 45.1%

    • Road (freight): 29.4%

    • Aviation: 11.6% (passenger: 81%, freight: 19%)

    • Shipping: 10.6%

    • Rail: 1%

    • Other Transport (including pipelines): 2.2%

  • Source for Data: Our World in Data, based on International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

Sustainable Transport and Sustainable Development

Interagency Report Insights

  • Percentage of Voluntary National Reviews: 2021 insights on the connection between transport and different Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

    • SDG Indicator 3.6.1 (Road Safety): 62%

    • SDG Indicator 9.1.1 (Rural Access): 86%

    • SDG Indicator 9.1.2 (Passenger & Freight): 70%

    • SDG Indicator 11.2.1 (Public Transport): 51%

Buildings + Carbon

Overview of Building Emissions

  • Global Total CO2 Emissions: 36.3 Gigatonnes (GT) annually.

  • Buildings' Contribution: Over 35% of total global CO2 emissions.

    • Building Operations: 27.3% of emissions.

    • Embodied Carbon: Specifically from four materials (cement, iron, steel, aluminum) accounts for 7.7%.

  • Breakdown of Building Emissions:

    • Residential Operations:

    • Direct: 11% (4.0 GT)

    • Indirect: 9.9 GT

    • Non-Residential Operations:

    • Direct: 2.8% (1.0 GT)

    • Indirect: 4.1% (1.5 GT)

  • Industry Emissions Contribution: 28% (10.1 GT) attributed to industries like cement, iron & steel, and aluminum.

Transportation, Buildings, + Equity

Challenges and Current Initiatives

  • Issues faced by low-income households:

    • Higher energy burden contributing to numerous challenges related to older housing stock and health risks.

    • Impact of unequal regulation and property protections.

    • Disproportionate impacts on socially vulnerable populations.

  • Effects of the Built Environment:

    • Unhealthy living conditions leading to health issues such as asthma, with statistics indicating 4x higher mortality rates for Black children.

  • Proposed Solutions:

    • Grassroots Green Homes: A pilot program for improving building efficiency and weatherization.

    • Focus on children and future generations by advocating for healthier environments through proper resource allocation and monitoring.

  • Key Areas of Focus in Urban Planning:

    • Education, technical expertise, conservation, and addressing energy efficiency through community engagement.

Assigned Readings and Activities

Readings

  • Drawdown Review: An overview of climate solutions for a new decade.

  • NRDC Expert Blogs: Four blogs focusing on natural resources and sustainability.

Viewings

  • TEDx Adventures:

    • Select and watch two sustainable transportation TEDx Talks or two sustainable infrastructure TEDx Talks.

Assigned Tasks

Learning Journal 03

  • Reflect on prior knowledge regarding sustainable cities and communities.

  • Discuss new learnings about social sustainability, climate justice, and equity's roles in sustainable development efforts.

  • Specify the TEDx videos chosen and their contributions to understanding sustainable development.

Midterm Self-Assessment

  • Details: A self-evaluation of Presence & Professionalism (P&P) performance, contributing to 10-20% of the final grade.

  • Deadline: October 10, 2025, by 11:59 PM EDT.

Class Participation

  • Presentation of Campus Sustainability Project (CSP) pitches.

  • Reminder to upload presentation materials before the class begins.