ABSTRACT
People using buildings use energy, constructing and refurbishing buildings requires energy, and commuting to and from buildings consumes energy. Nearly all of this energy comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The global demand for fossil fuels continues to increase each year, while finding new reserves and extracting them cheaply and safely is becoming more difficult. Put simply, there is a finite supply of fossil fuel and we are using it up. Add global politics into the mix and it is inevitable that both energy prices and concerns over security of energy supply will increase. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is due to human activity and that this has raised, and will continue to raise, the average global surface temperature and change the world’s climate. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
