We've got to do something about climate change now. Unfortunately, carbon capture technology is 20 years away, it takes more than a decade to build a nuclear plant, and renewables like solar and geothermal have a huge barrier to overcome before they can be cost competitive.

So what do we do? Well, Architecture 2030 has created their blueprint to the future (PDF), which outlines how to reduce emissions by massive amounts without changing our energy mix at all. By implementing existing technologies at low costs, Architecture 2030 has determined that we could save far more energy far cheaper than we could ever hope to manage in the near-term with even old, established technologies like nuclear power.

The results of their $21 B investment scenario are insane; they've calculated that it would:

1. Replace 22.3 conventional coal-fired plants
2. Reduce CO2 emissions by 86.7 MMT
3. Save 204 billion cubic feet of natural gas
4. Save 10.7 million barrels of oil
5. Save consumers $8.46 billion in energy bills
6. Create 216,000 new jobs.

Investing that same money in clean coal or nuclear infrastructure would, in the best case, only replace 8 coal plants.

It's obvious where the money needs to go, and Architecture 2030 is calling on the global architecture community to adopt standards that will make this a reality.

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