Climate change is one of the most serious environmental problems that the planet faces today. This problem is due to an increasing concentration of of greenhouse gases (CO2) in the atmosphere. Most of those gases originate from the burning of fossil fuels for energy production. Energy related emissions account for the largest share of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, in order to tackle climate change, the EU has agreed that, by 2020, greenhouse gas emissions must have dropped to a level 20% lower than the 1990 emissions level, and also that by 2050 those levels must be between 80% and 95% lower than the 1990 level. Moreover the EU committed to a 20% increase in the consumption of energy from renewable sources. Increasing the energy efficiency of new and already existing buildings is crucial for the transformation of the EU's energy system. This paper makes a brief analysis of the EU's energy efficiency strategy for buildings.
CO2 emissions; Climate change; Energy efficiency; Nearly zero-energy buildings; Toxicity; Embodied energy
