Green Building Council responds to IPCC climate change report

The UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) has responded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report, referring to it as a massive wake-up call. At the end of last year, the organisation set out plans for a roadmap to net zero for the built environment, which contributes around 40 percent of the UK’s entire carbon footprint. The roadmap is dues to be unveiled at the UN’s COP26 conference in Glasgow later this year.

The Roadmap forms part of the World Green Building Council’s #BuildingLife programme, which will see nine decarbonisation roadmaps developed by national Green Building Councils for their respective countries across Europe.

Julie Hirigoyen, Chief Executive at UKGBC: “This report should be a massive wake-up call for governments across the globe. It reinforces the growing evidence base that too many commitments are being missed, and that current pledges must be scaled up and matched with plans to deliver urgent change.

“With 21-22 percent of the UK’s total carbon emissions (including imported emissions) directly controlled by the built environment sector, it is clear our sector has a significant role to play. Tackling this challenge will be tough, but it also represents a huge opportunity to deliver valuable green jobs and better, healthier places. Built environment businesses can, and must, lead the charge.

“As COP hosts, the UK Government must show clear leadership and embed ambitious climate action across all its flagship policies, from planning reform and tougher building regulations to home retrofit incentives and ‘levelling-up’. Delays to key initiatives, such as the Heat and Buildings strategy, have led to considerable uncertainty in the industry. The sooner the direction of travel is made clear, the quicker the costs of new technologies will come down, which is vital for consumers.”

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report can be accessed here.