The push for cleaner construction methods to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution on building sites has increased in recent years due to the worsening climate crisis. Nations across the globe have expressed their intent in finding better solutions for addressing the negative impacts the architecture and construction industries have on the environment. 

Earlier this month, the mayors of Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm made a public pledge to enact various policies and regulations to ensure the following issues are addressed. According to a press release from C40 Cities, the mayors promise to:

1. Purchase biofuels and emission-free machinery for the city’s own use
2. Demand fossil-and emission-free solutions in public procurement and city supported projects
3. In Oslo, all city-owned machinery and municipally-owned construction sites will operate with zero emissions by 2025

Executive director of C40 Cities, Mark Watts, shares in a statement, "The world’s cities are growing fast, with an area the size of Milan being built every week. It may be a boom time for builders, but the construction industry is a major contributor to the climate crisis." 

He continues, "The mayors of Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm recognize that without urgent action to cut emissions generated in the construction of buildings and infrastructure, there is no chance of delivering on the Paris Agreement and preventing catastrophic climate change."