U.S. Green Building Council

and vision of its sister organization, the U.S. Green Building Council, for a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable world by connecting USGBC programs, such as LEED, with customer needs. GBCI has branches in Canada, China, India, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe. The global green building industry continues to grow rapidly. It is a pillar of our society-wide response to climate change and integral to addressing demand for better, healthier spaces, buildings, and places. Growing awareness among policymakers, private sector leaders, and a wide variety of stakeholders is driving increased demand for high performance spaces and, as the stakes rise, there is correspondent need for credible third-party verification. USGBC and GBCI serve both sides of this proposition, defining high performance and providing assurance about implementation and real-world performance. COVID-19 illuminated the need to shift our global focus to lasting human-health centric solutions, and green buildings are at the forefront of that movement. The interest in health and wellness issues is here to stay well beyond the pandemic, particularly as we see variants of the virus resurge and discussions in best practices for re-entry continue to be a daily occurrence. Additionally, the release of the IPCC report in August was yet another warning of the catastrophic effects of climate change. In the past few months alone, the U.S. has witnessed sweeping power outages, wildfires, and hurricanes. Buildings account for nearly 40% of our global emissions and offer one of our most powerful tools to reduce carbon emissions and build resilience into our communities and cities to prepare for these events. Construction companies, real estate firms, individual organizations, cities and countries alike are making commitments to achieve net zero emissions to reduce the effects of climate U. S . GREEN BUI LDING COUNC I L