Skip to main content

News | Stories

Squarzini Discusses Decarbonizing The Built Environment At United Nations Roundtable

July 27, 2023
Mike Squarzini Discusses Decarbonizing The Built Environment At United Nations Roundtable
Thornton Tomasetti
Mike Squarzini Discusses Decarbonizing The Built Environment At United Nations Roundtable
Thornton Tomasetti

With the built environment accounting for 40 percent of annual global human CO2 emissions, the architecture, engineering and construction industry plays an important role in combatting climate change. This past Tuesday, a select group of AEC leaders, including Thornton Tomasetti Co-CEO Mike Squarzini, joined government representatives, policymakers and United Nations officials for a roundtable discussion on decarbonizing the built environment at the UN headquarters in New York City.

Organized by The United Nations Human Settlement Programme and The Plant, the event covered a number of topics, such as the challenges and opportunities of decarbonizing buildings, how to create stronger partnerships for the development of cutting-edge solutions and new climate technologies.

“One of the biggest global challenges we face is climate change, and it is important to have all stakeholders at the table for such an important public policy discussion,” Mike said. “From using performance-based design to create more resilient buildings to incorporating sustainable materials like mass timber, there are many innovative ways we can accelerate climate action in the built environment. We are looking forward to more of these kind of idea exchanges in future.”


Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our society. And because it affects everyone, it demands our creativity, passion and collaboration to build a better, more enduring world. See how Thornton Tomasetti is one of the only firms with the expertise to help you think holistically about a range of steps to address climate change.

Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change

Capabilities