NIBS Releases 2022 Moving Forward Report

The National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Consultative Council released the 2022 Moving Forward Report on March 28, 2023. The International Code Council, a member of the NIBS Consultative Council, collaborated with other high-level building community representatives to develop this report.

Every year, the NIBS Consultative Council releases its Moving Forward Report to investigate critical challenges currently facing the building industry. For the 2022 report, NIBS council members studied the challenges caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by exploring the relationship between the changing climate and the built environment.

Investigating Building Sector Decarbonization

Buildings are considered one of the major contributors to GHG emissions. GHG emissions have dangerous consequences for human health and the environment.

“Human-induced climate change is a threat to human life and society, and steps must be taken across economic sectors to reduce the adverse impact of carbon and other harmful greenhouse gas emissions,” said AC Powell, JD, CPS, President and CEO of NIBS. “Progress has been made, but there is still far to go.”

This year’s Moving Forward Report expands upon key concepts, challenges and recommendations surrounding the topic of building sector decarbonization. Recommendations include:

• Prioritizing and leveraging private sector input and expertise
• Improving embodied carbon accounting, data transparency and disclosure
• Advancing market transformation
• Increasing investments in compliance activities for energy codes and standards, as well as increased training for code officials
• Increasing investments in understanding and overcoming the challenges to decarbonization posed by existing buildings
• Increasing investments in building sector workforce development
• Consideration of social equity for disadvantaged populations and communities

The Code Council’s Energy Strategy

The 2022 Moving Forward Report aligns with the International Code Council’s decarbonization strategy and highlights several initiatives undertaken by the Code Council to provide comprehensive solutions that help communities and the building industry reach decarbonization goals. For example, the Code Council’s International Energy Conservation Code®, International Residential Code® and International Green Construction Code® provide communities with a strong portfolio to battle the impacts of the changing climate.

The Code Council’s collaboration with ASHRAE on Standard 240P on the quantification of GHG emissions across the building life cycle will provide an essential tool to support a comprehensive approach to reducing the impacts of buildings. The ICC Evaluation Service’s role as an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Program Operator supports manufacturers in demonstrating how their products deliver on key environmental parameters.

To learn more about the Code Council’s decarbonization efforts and access key resources, click here.