ASHRAE Journal - February 2023 - 4

COMMEN COMMENCOMMENTARY
TARY
180 Technology Parkway
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
Phone: 404-636-8400
Fax: 404-321-5478 | www.ashrae.org
DIRECTOR OF ASHRAE PUBLICATIONS & EDUCATION
Mark S. Owen
EDITORIAL
Editor
John G. Falcioni
jfalcioni@ashrae.org
Managing Editor
Kelly Barraza
kbarraza@ashrae.org
Technical Editor
Rebecca Matyasovski
rmatyasovski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Tani Palefski
tpalefski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Chadd Jones
cjones@ashrae.org
Assistant Editor
Kaitlyn Baich
kbaich@ashrae.org
Creative Designer
Teresa M. Carboni
tcarboni@ashrae.org
PUBLISHING SERVICES
Publishing Services Manager
David Soltis
Production
Jayne Jackson
ASHRAE MEDIA ADVERTISING
Associate Publisher
Greg Martin
gmartin@ashrae.org
Advertising Production and
Operations Senior Coordinator
Vanessa Johnson
vjohnson@ashrae.org
Circulation Development Coordinator
Austin Brafford
abrafford@ashrae.org
ASHRAE OFFICERS
President
Farooq Mehboob
President-Elect
Ginger Scoggins, P.E.
Treasurer
Dennis Knight, P.E.
Vice Presidents
Billy Austin, P.E., BCxP, BEAP, BEMP,
HBDP, HFDP, OPMP
Dunstan Laurence Macauley III,
P.E., HBDP
Sarah Maston, P.E., BCxP
Ashish Rakheja
Secretary & Executive Vice President
Jeff H. Littleton
POLICY GROUP
2022 - 23 Chair
Publications Committee
Gerardo Alfonso, P.E.
Washington Offi ce
washdc@ashrae.org
4
Steady Road to Decarbonization
I
John G. Falcioni
n this month's cover article on decarbonization, authors
Thomas Lawrence, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, and Costas
Balaras, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, deliver a startling reminder:
" In the 1970s, there was no scientifi c consensus on the
topic of climate change as to whether Earth was headed
toward an ice age or a warming climate caused by human
activity, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But by the turn of the
century, the likelihood of an ice age occurring was overshadowed by rising
CO2 levels in the atmosphere and their impact on warming Earth's climate. "
Carbon dioxide, they continue, is recognized as a signifi cant GHG
culprit, trapping heat in the atmosphere by absorbing the long wavelength
infrared radiation from the earth back out to space, thus preventing that
natural cooling effect.
Reducing CO2 emissions and mitigating the effects of too much CO2 in
the atmosphere are among the key concerns addressed in the ASHRAE
HVAC&R Global Summit Final Report released last month: Securing Our
Future: Addressing the Critical Issues of the Day.
The report, which I mentioned in an earlier Commentary, comes out of
a global summit ASHRAE spearheaded in Istanbul late last year. You can
download the report here: https://tinyurl.com/ckhz394a.
" The global migration of the population to cities will result in the
building fl oor area doubling by 2060, " the report states. " Inasmuch
as buildings contribute around 39% of all carbon emissions into the
atmosphere, the expanding carbon problem is clear, as is the importance
of the building industry. "
Lawrence and Balaras recognize that there's not one solution to the
complex climate crisis. They also understand that decarbonization does
not mean that every building will have zero GHG emissions. " Thus,
calculating a building's carbon footprint really starts with asking the
question as to how big we should defi ne the 'control volume' for a
structure. "
A " one size fi ts all " approach will not work globally, they conclude. " The
solutions must be fi ne-tuned to the local economy, social networks and
political landscapes. " This will not happen overnight. But it is happening-
and the pace is accelerating as ASHRAE members and the HVAC&R
industry work together to grow our understanding and to develop the
technology and practical guidance needed to properly address carbon in
the built environment.
John G. Falcioni
ASHRAE Journal Editor
Mission Statement: ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication of application-oriented articles. ASHRAE Journal's
editorial content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of emerging technologies, covering the entire spectrum of professional interest from design and
construction practices to commissioning and the service life of HVAC&R environmental systems.
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.o rg F E B R U A RY 2 0 2 3

http://www.ashrae.org https://tinyurl.com/ckhz394a http://ashrae.org

ASHRAE Journal - February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - February 2023