As is documented in the article, the recent climate talks in Lima ended with an agreement to try to limit the long-term warming of the planet to below 2 degree celsius above the global average temperature at the start of the Industrial Revolution. This limit has been central to talks aimed at mitigating global warming, but, as the author notes, may not be enough. Already, the disastrous and damaging effects of global warming are felt worldwide. Moreover, scientists are realizing they had underestimated the potential rapidity of sea level rise from the melting glaciers of Greenland and Antarctica. 

To put this in perspective, in order to remain below the 2 degree threshold, the building sector alone must steadily transition to carbon neutrality by 2030, a radical change in the way architecture and construction currently operate. According to the project Architecture 2030, whose name alone shows the centrality of the 2 degree limit, this could feasibly be accomplished if:

• "All new buildings, developments and major renovations shall be designed to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 60% below the regional (or country) average/median for that building type."
• "At a minimum, an equal amount of existing building area shall be renovated annually to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 60% of the regional (or country) average/median for that building type."

While that might not seem like a lot at first, it amounts to very significant change. While these goals remain in the realm of possibility, they require immediate and intense policy creation and enforcement. Considering the current global political struggles to even agree to this threshold, it's increasingly becoming a slimmer and slimmer hope. And if the 2 degree limit ends up not being enough, the necessary changes to the building sector will have to be even more drastic – maybe even amounting to a caesura of current construction practices – in order to avoid catastrophe.