Fig. 4: The presence of sociotechnical barriers by time (a), building archetype (b), and lifecycle stage (c).
From: Reviewing the 95 sociotechnical barriers to the decarbonization of buildings
Panel 4a shows the count and proportion of sociotechnical barriers to building decarbonization by theme in 3 year increments over 15 years (2009–2024). Panel 4a shows a sharp increase in discussion of barriers, especially after 2018. Economic and Political themes are most prevalent over this time. Colors represent barrier themes: Economic (dark gray), Political (medium green), Social (light green), Behavioral (yellow), and Technical (light gray). Fig. 4b: Frequency and top sociotechnical barriers to building decarbonization by sector across the 595 studies explicitly discussing sector. Residential and Commercial sectors are most prevalent in research literature. Fig. 4c shows the top sociotechnical barriers to building decarbonization by building phase, based on 785 academic studies explicitly referencing phase. Barriers are grouped into five phases: Standard Setting (30%), Design and Planning (23%), Material Selection and Construction (10%), Operation and Use (19%), and Decommissioning and Recycling (18%). Each phase lists the most top reported barriers.
