Reduction Roadmap is an Earthshot project which works to translate the Paris Agreement into industry-specific reduction targets for new Danish housing projects. The result is a science-based transformation tool and call to action for the Danish building sector. 

The construction industry is one of the major contributors to global carbon emissions, and in Denmark construction–related activities account for 30% of total GHG emissions. To align with a 1.5°C pathway, the industry must deliver buildings with a drastically reduced environmental impact. 

Reduction Roadmap works to develop an operational tool for the construction industry to translate the planetary boundary for climate change into a tangible reduction target for new Danish residential construction. It identifies where we are today, where we need to go, and the speed at which we must reduce our carbon emissions. 

Several large players such as Pension Danmark and Home.Earth have already implemented the reduction targets as part of their sustainability strategies. Rådet for Bæredygtigt Byggeri has also implemented the reduction targets as part of the DGNB certification, and their new distinction ‘DGNB Planet’ confirms the need for this tool.