UKGBC said that it want to bring on board the widest possible range of stakeholders to work together on the project.
Production of a built environment roadmap for carbon elimination comes on the back of the government’s new target to cut emissions by 68% by 2030, against 1990 levels.
And yesterday the Climate Change Commission, which advises government on these issues, set out a detailed plan for a 78% cut by 2035. [See our report here.]
The UKGBC intends that its roadmap will cover all building types and infrastructure, all built environment stakeholders and sub-sectors and address carbon across the whole building lifecycle.
.png)
Sustainability expert Tom Spurrier has been seconded from consulting engineer Hoare Lea to lead the project Lead. He will be joined by British Property Federation assistant director Alex Green who has been seconded part time to focus on stakeholder engagement across the industry and government.
The plan is to unveil the Roadmap at COP26 in November 2021 in Glasgow, along with other decarbonisation roadmaps developed by national Green Building Councils from other countries across Europe. This collaborative effort will aim to build a common vision and agreed actions for achieving net zero carbon in the construction, operation and demolition of buildings and infrastructure.
John Alker, director of policy and places at UKGBC, said: “The concept of net zero carbon has taken the built environment sector by storm, and government has set out a clear level of ambition ahead of COP26, with a strong evidence base produced by the Climate Change Committee. But there remains a missing key ingredient in terms of a single, coherent, shared plan of action for getting to net zero whole life carbon for the totality of the built environment. The sheer volume of climate activity and initiatives in the sector is testament to the interest and momentum in this space, but we desperately need to work together in partnership and forge consensus if we are going to deliver the radical carbon reductions needed.”
Tom Spurrier, associate director at Hoare Lea and UKGBC roadmap project lead, said: “Following a year of unprecedented challenge and adaptation, 2021 presents an opportunity to reset ambitions and strategy for a net zero carbon built environment in the UK in the run up to COP26. We are all aware of the urgent need for all sectors of the global economy to decarbonise at speed and at scale. But progress is only possible via collaboration and consensus, and the roadmap will bring together businesses, policymakers and industry bodies in order to create a transparent and implementable plan to deliver lasting impact.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
