• Energy Research

Current policies to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions associated with buildings focus on technological developments such as energy efficiency, renovation rates and renewable energies. While technological developments are effective at mitigating climate change, the omission of lifestyle changes such as lower floor area per capita and indoor temperatures as well as disruptive measures ('e.g.' replacement of highly energy-consuming buildings) leave untapped potential for further savings. A dynamic stock-driven model is presented that quantifies direct energy consumption and direct CO2 emissions associated with the use phase of Swiss residential buildings. Eleven scenarios involving technological developments, lifestyle changes and disruptive measures are evaluated against relevant goals (Paris Agreement, Energy Strategy 2050 and 2000-Watt Society). Disruptive measures are modelled with a new combined lifetime-leaching approach. The scenario analysis indicates that the main leverage points for energy savings reside in lifestyle changes, whereas emission reductions can be highly levered by technological developments. Reaching all the goals is possible, but requires ambitious strategies. This study provides a basis for expanding the portfolio of climate change mitigation strategies for the residential building sector, although further research is needed to understand social, cultural and economic aspects, and indirect (embodied) emissions. Policy relevance Switzerland currently applies two policies in the building sector to reach the climate goals (Energy Strategy 2050, Paris Agreement and 2000-Watt Society). This study shows: (1) current policies (a CO2 levy on fossil fuels for heating and the Buildings Program subsidising renewable energies and energy-efficient renovations) are effective at lowering energy consumption and CO2 emissions, but insufficient to meet any of the goals; (2) reaching the Energy Strategy 2050 and Paris Agreement requires an extension of current policies and a complete phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050; and (3) achieving the 2000-Watt Society requires the measures described above, households heating only areas inside dwellings up to 20°C, and one of these three measures: (a) households living with 41 instead of 47 m2/cap, (b) increasing the renovation rate from 1.3% to 3.0%, and (c) replacing buildings consuming > 140 kWh/m2/yr. Further evaluations including social, cultural and economic aspects, and indirect energy consumption and embodied emissions are needed.

The challenges posed to humanity by climate change require innovative approaches. Well-designed games are powerful tools with the potential to support solving climate related challenges. In this article, we present a mapping review study of games that address climate change issues (climate games). In a search and selection process, we identified 115 climate games that were classified by applying a newly developed game typology. This allowed gaining an overview of existing climate games and identifying potentials for future game development. The game classification revealed that the majority of climate games (75%) were designed for learning purposes and addressed heterogeneous target audiences such as students, professionals, or the “general public”. The identified games covered a wide range of characteristics, e.g., regarding the topic addressed, player interaction, game-play, level of abstraction, or the media used for play. Nevertheless, we identified areas where only few or no games were found. These “gaps” provide opportunities where future games could help solving climate challenges and include, amongst others, games designed for professionals to address specific needs and games that create a direct impact outside the game environment. Regarding game design, experimenting with the abstraction of games is currently underexplored and offers potential for future developments.

Python code and data for the Residential Building Stock Model (RBSM) described in the paper "Pathways toward a carbon-neutral Swiss residential building stock", authored by Marta Roca-Puigròs, Romain Guillaume Billy, Andreas Gerber, Patrick Wäger and Daniel Beat Müller and published in the journal "Buildings and Cities" (https://www.buildingsandcities.org/). Model based on ODYM (https://github.com/IndEcol/ODYM). Code and data also available on https://gitlab.com/mfa_indecol/residential-building-stock-model This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) within the framework of the National Research Programme "Sustainable Economy: resource-friendly, future-oriented, innovative" (NRP 73) Grant-N° 407340_172402/1.