When It Comes to Climate Action, the U.S. Construction Industry Is Still In

During U.S. President Joe Biden’s term in office, businesses that prioritize climate action received ample support from the White House. That is all but certain to change after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Still, opportunities for businesses to partner with cities, counties, and states on climate action will continue, and the construction industry is already setting the stage for a new round of progress.

How low-carbon concrete can catalyze more U.S. climate action

The construction industry provides a good example of the potential for U.S. businesses to continue making significant progress on climate action. Key stakeholders are working with innovators to tackle one of the most notorious global greenhouse gas emitters, the production of concrete. New low-carbon concrete formulas are in development, but much of the activity is still in the demonstration phase. The industry will have to scale up in order to produce meaningful results.

To help grow the market, the Joe Biden administration empowered state and federal agencies to purchase low-carbon concrete and other construction materials through the Federal Buy Clean Initiative and the Federal-State Buy Clean Initiative. Even if the incoming administration puts an end to those programs, the foundation is in place for collaborative efforts to continue in other forms.

Over the past year, the Biden administration worked with the nonprofits RMI and the Natural Resources Defense Council to hold regional events across the country to bring innovators together to scale up more sustainable construction materials. By the end of the tour, a host of public- and private-sector partners committed to building the market for low-carbon concrete, with the goal of sharing strategies and research throughout the industry. 

Among the public-sector participants announced last month, New York state aims to reduce carbon emissions from concrete in public infrastructure by 30 percent by 2028, and New York City agencies pledged to carry out an executive order requiring transparency in the concrete and steel products used in public infrastructure. The city of Los Angeles is contributing five demonstration projects involving “ultra-low-carbon concrete” to the effort, Washington state is rolling out its newly passed Buy Clean and Buy Fair legislation for state agencies, and Michigan formed new state and local low-carbon infrastructure purchasing partnerships.

Leading cement and concrete producers also pledged to reduce their emissions, including Heidelberg Materials North America, which committed to cut emissions across its operations by 25 percent by 2030, among other actions. Another supporter, Cemex, will launch a group of demonstration projects in pursuit of a 40 percent emissions cut. 

The White House also enlisted the support of leading private-sector concrete buyers. Part of the focus is on decarbonizing data center construction, with Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Google and Meta all supporting ultra-low-carbon concrete demonstration projects through the Open Compute Project. In the real estate industry, leading construction firms BXP (Boston Properties), Clark Pacific, Turner Construction and Weldon Development Group announced carbon commitments, demonstration projects and other action steps.

Are we still in?

In a parallel effort, earlier this year a group of 10 climate technology companies formed a first-of-its-kind collaboration called the Decarbonized Cement and Concrete Alliance (DC2), aimed at rallying support for public policies that help grow the market for low-carbon concrete.

One focus of the coalition is S.3439, a bill introduced in Congress last year that would empower the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the development of new low-carbon concrete products through an advance purchase program. The bill faces an uncertain future now that the balance of power in Congress has shifted, but if the past is any indication, DC2 and other private-sector stakeholders can still make progress by working with state and local jurisdictions.

When Trump first took office in 2017, he announced the U.S. would pull out of the global Paris Agreement on climate change. In response, thousands of businesses, non-federal jurisdictions, universities and other stakeholders pledged to continue working toward the agreement's goals to cap global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius. Many joined the organizations America’s Pledge and We Are Still In, which have since joined forces to form the America is All In coalition. The membership roster includes almost 3,000 businesses along with 10 states and hundreds of local governments, investors, academic institutions and faith groups.

On Nov. 6, America Is All In joined with Climate Mayors and the state governors organization U.S. Climate Alliance to reaffirm that its members “will not waver in our commitment to confronting the climate crisis, protecting our progress, and relentlessly pressing forward.”

Those are no idle words. Together, the three organizations represent 24 governors and 350 mayors whose jurisdictions cover almost 66 percent of the U.S. population and almost 75 percent of the nation’s GDP. They aim to make their message loud and clear on the global stage, beginning with the United Nations climate conference in Azerbaijan and the 2024 Mayors' Summit in Brazil this month. Businesses that heed the call can continue to make progress on climate action, regardless of U.S. federal policy.