Canadian architects declare climate and biodiversity emergency

On September 27, 2019, DTAH joined thousands in Toronto as part of the Global Climate Strike. We have also signed ca.architectsdeclare.ca, joining design firms across Canada to declare climate and biodiversity emergency and commit to urgent and sustained action:

Our interconnected crises of climate breakdown, ecological degradation, and societal inequity are the most serious issues of our time. The design, construction, and operation of our built environment accounts for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and pervasively impacts our societies and the health of the living systems that sustain us.

Building to support the intergenerational health of our communities and living systems will require rapid paradigm shifts in thought and action for everyone working in the design, construction, and procurement of our built environments. Together with our clients, collaborators, and communities, we need to develop buildings, cities, and infrastructures as indivisible components of larger nested living systems – interconnected, resilient, and regenerative, now and for future generations.

Accordingly, we commit to:

1. Raise awareness of these interconnected crises, and the impact the built environment has on them, with our clients and colleagues;

2. Take immediate action through our projects, and in our capacities as advisors, advocates, educators, and enablers within our communities, cities, and supply chains.

Towards this, we further commit to:

1. Design for holistic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and advocate for investments in a rapid transition to resilient climate-positive alternatives;

2. Eliminate waste and harm, and support a rapid transition to circular economies;

3. Design for holistic health, resilience, and regeneration; respecting the rights and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples as outlined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; 4. Adopt regenerative design principles and practices to build the necessary capability to design and develop projects and environments that go beyond the standard of net zero in use; 5. Advocate for the rapid systemic changes required to address the climate and ecological health crises, as well as the policies, funding priorities, and implementation frameworks that support them. Join us in making this commitment by adding your organization to the signature form.