How will green and low-carbon buildings change our lives under the dual-carbon goals?

I. The Dual-Carbon Strategy and Green Low-Carbon Buildings: A New Mission for the Times

In our current era, technological advancements are exceptionally rapid, and the construction industry is also developing at an accelerated pace. Urbanization is progressing at an increasingly fast rate, with new buildings being constructed and renovations taking place everywhere. However, alongside this development, there is a growing emphasis on environmental protection and energy issues. The "dual-carbon strategy" was proposed against this backdrop, requiring us to reduce carbon emissions and strive to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This presents a new challenge for the construction industry while also bringing new opportunities.

Under the dual-carbon strategy, the construction and renovation of high-quality green and low-carbon buildings have become particularly important. In the past, when building or renovating houses, the primary concerns might have been whether the space was sufficient and comfortable. Now, the situation is different; we must also consider how to conserve energy, reduce pollution, and allow buildings to coexist harmoniously with nature. This is not only related to our current quality of life but also closely linked to the future of our descendants. Therefore, relevant personnel must quickly change their mindset, attach importance to the construction and renovation of green low-carbon buildings, and utilize scientific methods to integrate new technologies and concepts into buildings, striving towards zero-carbon buildings to promote the long-term and stable development of the construction industry.

II. The Numerous Advantages of Green Low-Carbon Buildings

(I) Reducing Energy Consumption: Saving the Planet's "Food"

Everyone knows that energy is not inexhaustible. Previous buildings may have been inefficient in energy use, resulting in significant waste. In the construction and renovation of high-quality green low-carbon buildings, an important method is to improve the energy utilization rate of equipment and systems while improving energy quality. For example, replacing the house's lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient ones and installing more efficient air conditioning; these small changes can significantly reduce energy consumption. This saves resources and reduces environmental pollution, reducing the burden on the Earth, and ensuring the planet's "food" lasts longer.

(II) Enhancing Corporate Competitiveness: Giving Enterprises More "Confidence"

For construction companies, participating in the construction and renovation of green low-carbon buildings is a great opportunity for self-improvement. Enterprises can control product costs by using new building materials and new energy sources, optimizing the production environment and technological processes. Lowering costs while improving production efficiency and quality increases product competitiveness. For instance, when constructing a building, some companies use traditional materials, resulting in high energy consumption and costs, whereas others utilize green low-carbon materials, reducing costs and creating an environmentally friendly brand image, making them more appealing to consumers. This gives companies more "confidence" in the market, enhancing productivity and core competitiveness.

(III) Promoting Sustainable Socio-Economic Development: Paving the Way for the Future

Green low-carbon construction and renovation under the dual-carbon strategy aims to save energy, protect the environment, and reduce pollution. We know that excessive use of coal and fossil fuels causes significant environmental damage. By developing green low-carbon buildings and reducing reliance on these energy sources, we can protect the ecological environment. A healthy environment fosters sustainable economic development. For example, a city filled with green low-carbon buildings, with fresh air and a beautiful environment, can attract more people to live and work, boosting tourism, services, and related industries. This is highly beneficial to the long-term development of the entire social economy, paving a smooth path for the future.

III. "Stumbling Blocks" on the Path of Development

(I) Imperfect Development Mechanisms: Information "Bottlenecks" and Credit "Shortcomings"

Although the prospects for green low-carbon buildings are bright, there are still many problems in the development mechanisms. First, let's talk about the information disclosure mechanism. Currently, energy consumption data and carbon emission data for many buildings are not publicly disclosed. This is like buying something without knowing the true situation, which makes one uneasy. Similarly, stakeholders such as financial institutions are unable to comprehensively and timely understand the energy-saving and emission-reduction effects and actual returns of green buildings, resulting in information asymmetry between supply and demand for funds.

Looking at the credit system, it is not perfect, and the construction of financing platforms needs to be strengthened. The construction and renovation of green buildings require considerable initial investment and are greatly affected by the financing environment; the actual benefits after completion are difficult to measure. This is like investing in a project without knowing if you will make money and facing high risks, naturally causing hesitation.

Regarding the certification mechanism, most green buildings in China currently undergo one-time certification. However, the maintenance costs of green buildings are high and the process is cumbersome, requiring developers to invest a significant amount of money, leading to potential moral hazards, as both buyers and sellers may engage in dishonest behavior due to profit issues.

(II) Weak R&D Technology: Dependence on "External Assistance" and High Costs

China's green building and energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies started relatively late, and the current level of R&D technology is not yet strong enough. In many cases, we lack sufficient mastery of renewable energy technologies and environmentally friendly materials and rely on foreign green building materials and energy-saving and emission-reduction equipment. This is like relying on others to feed you instead of having the ability to cook yourself. This dependence on foreign products prevents cost reduction, resulting in high cost increases for green building construction and renovation and significantly hindering the development of green buildings. Although everyone wants to support green buildings, the high Price can cause hesitation.

(III) Unsatisfactory Financing Environment: "Money Bags" are Not Full, Development is Limited

Currently, the financing environment for green low-carbon buildings is not optimistic. Financial support in this area is insufficient, and the financing structure of the construction and real estate markets needs optimization. Existing green financial products are relatively simple and lack innovation, unable to meet the multi-level financing needs of green buildings. The green building industry has high financing needs and long investment cycles but relatively low returns and significant risks. The financing cycle of traditional financial products does not match the project cycle of green buildings, and the returns and risks are unbalanced. This is like embarking on a long journey with insufficient funds and encountering continuous problems along the way, making it difficult to reach your destination. This situation directly affects the innovation of green financial products and limits the development of green buildings.

IV. "Effective Prescriptions" for Breaking Through Difficulties

(I) Optimizing Information Mechanisms: Allowing Information to "Flow"

To ensure the sound development of green low-carbon buildings, the information issue must be addressed first. We must establish a sound information disclosure and flow mechanism to ensure smooth information flow between developers, financial institutions, and government departments, achieving data interoperability. This allows relevant departments to understand building information and assess risks throughout the entire building lifecycle.

There are many problems with information disclosure by building enterprises, such as incomplete information and inconsistent standards. Therefore, relevant departments need to optimize these mechanisms in practical work. Specifically, it is necessary to formulate standards for green building information disclosure, clarifying regulations on aspects such as air quality optimization, water and electricity saving effects, carbon emission index calculation, energy consumption reduction data calculation, etc., and strictly enforcing these standards at each stage, including design review, architectural design, acceptance, and operation and maintenance. It is also possible to introduce third-party audit institutions to improve the information disclosure standard system, making information more accurate and reliable.

(II) Cultivating a Favorable Environment: Creating a Breeding Ground for Green Buildings

High-quality green and low-carbon buildings offer numerous benefits, including energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, and a comfortable living environment. During building construction and renovation, designers should focus on saving energy resources and highlight the characteristics of green buildings such as cost savings, health and comfort, and a return to nature.

With today's advanced technology, we can leverage BIM technology and big data to drive the intelligent development of the construction industry. For example, BIM technology can simulate the building construction process on a computer, allowing for the early detection and resolution of problems, thus improving construction efficiency.

In addition, relevant departments should inform consumers about the actual green performance acceptance methods for buildings, allowing them to estimate energy-saving effects. Home inspection activities can also be carried out. When promoting green buildings, use simple and easy-to-understand language to clearly explain building performance, decoration standards, and other indicators. The specifications should also state the estimated cost savings to give consumers confidence.

(III) Developing New Business Models: Adding New Wings to Green Buildings

Under the dual-carbon strategy, developing high-quality "green low-carbon buildings +" new business models is crucial. This can be achieved through several approaches:

Firstly, innovate building materials and equipment. Building construction and renovation require a large amount of materials and equipment, and we can choose innovative products. For example, foam glass is made by high-temperature processing of discarded glass bottles, plates, etc. This material has good bonding properties, excellent heat insulation and thermal preservation, is clean and non-polluting, fire-resistant, and has high compressive strength and waterproof performance. When used in building exterior walls and ceilings, it reduces the use of clay bricks, making it both environmentally friendly and practical.

Secondly, focus on intelligent construction. Utilizing internet information technology to digitize data in the construction and renovation process can improve work efficiency and accuracy. Many construction sites now use new construction robots, such as intelligent equipment for on-site component installation. Operators can use the system to accurately and quickly install components, and also monitor the equipment's operating status and perform fault diagnosis in real-time.

Thirdly, promote the application of new energy sources. In building construction and renovation, adhere to green, energy-saving, and carbon-reduction concepts, scientifically plan energy structures, and utilize clean energy sources such as wind and solar power. For example, installing photovoltaic new energy equipment can adjust the indoor temperature and generate electricity, achieving two goals simultaneously.

(IV) Strengthening Financial Support: Providing Blood Transfusions for Green Buildings

Financial support is crucial for the development of green buildings. First, low-carbon configuration should be achieved to make resource allocation more scientific and reasonable, and to restrict the financing of traditional construction enterprises and projects. For projects that meet green building standards, preferential loan terms should be provided, and the financing structure should be optimized. Commercial banks should actively innovate and develop more green financial products. When dealing with issues such as upfront low-pressure guaranteed loans and the second repayment source for green building development loans, in-depth research should be conducted to ensure that the project meets the requirements before processing the relevant procedures.

It is also necessary to strengthen the regulatory incentive mechanism, encouraging stakeholders to participate in green building construction and renovation through rewards and subsidies. Government departments can adjust subsidy policies according to the actual situation to improve the efficiency of fiscal funds. Provide tax support to upstream and downstream enterprises in the green building supply chain, provide environmental protection star ratings and financial subsidies to developers and operators, and set an upper limit on financial subsidies for energy-saving renovations of old urban buildings to avoid excessive energy consumption.

V. Green and Low-Carbon Buildings, Illuminating Future Life

Under the guidance of the dual-carbon strategy, the construction and renovation of high-quality green and low-carbon buildings are of great significance. Although challenges remain in development mechanisms, research and development technology, and financing environment, these issues can be gradually addressed by adopting strategies such as optimizing information mechanisms, creating a favorable environment, developing new business models, and strengthening financial support.

Green and low-carbon buildings can not only improve the level of building construction and renovation, making our living environment more comfortable and healthy, but also promote harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and drive sustainable social development. Imagine living in a city filled with green and low-carbon buildings, where the air is fresh and energy is abundant—how wonderful life would be! With everyone's joint efforts, this day will surely come soon.