Human activities are

changing Earth's
atmosphere. The
burning of fossil fuels
has led to large
amounts of greenhouse
gases (such as carbon
dioxide and methane) in
the atmosphere. Higher
concentrations of
greenhouse gases trap
more heat in the
biosphere and result in
global warming. In turn,
this drives climate
change.
When climate change
affects an environment
so much that it is unable
to sustain organisms,
they must adapt,
relocate, or face extinction. Because of this, climate change can have
a huge effect on biodiversity.
When fossil fuels are burned, they release nitrogen oxides into the
atmosphere, which contribute to the formation of smog and acid rain.
The most common nitrogen-related compounds emitted into the air by
human activities are collectively referred to as nitrogen oxides.
Ammonia is another nitrogen compound emitted to the air, primarily
from agricultural activities, but also from fossil fuels.
As an architect one can incorporate the use of renewable energy. By
using renewable energy, it can help reduce the environmental impact
while also providing a number of other valuable benefits.
As architects, we need to push for the design and construction of
buildings with zero net energy consumption. This means that the
total amount of energy used by a building on an annual basis is
roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on site. It
is understood that some sites may need off-site generation, yet that
should be pursued after exploring all on-site solutions.
We can design sustainable designs where the built environment
achieves unprecedented levels of ecological balance through new
and retrofit construction, toward long-term viability.Focusing on
environmental context, sustainable design merges the natural,
minimum resource conditioning solutions of the past (daylight,
solar heat, and natural ventilation) with the innovative
technologies of the present, into an integrated new innovation
creating more eco friendly designs.