Buildings, not factories, are top carbon emitters, expert says

Subic Bay Freeport – The major source of carbon emissions is not factories, vehicles, or cow farts, as some might think. Who would have thought that buildings make up roughly 37% of the total carbon emissions in the world?

During the 3rd Central Luzon Tourism Sustainable Summit in Subic Bay Freeport, a lecture on Green Infrastructure: Designing Cities that Breathe was delivered by Philippine Green Building Initiative architect Michaela Rosette M. Santos-Tayag.

She said that buildings are a major source of global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for roughly 37% of the total, primarily due to the energy used for heating, cooling, and powering them (operational emissions), and the production of building materials like cement and steel (embodied emissions).

“These emissions occur throughout a building's entire life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials to its eventual demolition and disposal. This greatly contributes to climate change, emitting greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” she cited.

The solution, she explained, is for green building practices to become the standard—creating sustainable and energy-efficient building designs to lower energy consumption.

Green buildings are structures designed and built to be resource-efficient and environmentally responsible throughout their entire life cycle, aiming to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts on the environment and occupants.

This is achieved through various sustainable practices such as using eco-friendly materials, optimizing energy and water efficiency, integrating renewable energy sources, improving indoor environmental quality, and managing waste effectively.

Tayag said that the goal is to reduce a building's carbon footprint while improving the health and productivity of its users.

The 3rd Central Luzon Tourism Sustainable Summit was held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) on September 12, 2025. The three-day event, which ran from September 10 to 12, was a resounding success, with hundreds of participants in attendance—including business leaders and communities—who aim to shape the Freeport and the rest of Central Luzon into a greener, more inclusive future.

According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, this year’s theme was dubbed "Building Green Legacies: Sustaining Nature, Celebrating Culture, and Empowering Industry."

Department of Tourism (DOT) Central Luzon Regional Director Richard G. Daenos, DENR Region 3 Executive Director Engr. Ralph C. Pablo, DOT Secretary Maria Esperanza Frasco, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, and DOT Office of Film and Sports Tourism OIC Director Roberto P. Alabado III expressed their full support during the second day of the summit.

The summit included ecotours, a summit expo, and a series of lectures.