‘Whole Life Carbon’: New roadmap lays out path to decarbonising the UK built environment
UK Green Building Council has published a guide to the specific emissions targets each sub-sector of the building industry must hit in order to help deliver on net zero goals
UK government and local authorities should introduce mandatory energy performance disclosure for non-domestic buildings and establish an ambitious retrofit programme to help rapidly decarbonise the built environment, according to a new roadmap for delivering zero carbon buildings across the country.
The Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap for the UK Built Environment, which was published today by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) on the sidelines of the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, provides a detailed analysis of the specific emissions reductions sub-sectors of the built environment need to achieve year-on-year to reach net zero across the sector by 2050. The analysis also includes emissions data on the whole lifecycle emissions of buildines, including so-called embedded emissions related to imported construction materials and products.
The Roadmap was co-created with over 100 organisations and outlines actions for both government and industry to take to curb emissions from the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings and infrastructure, including action plans for 14 key stakeholder groups.
The Roadmap’s authors highlighted the need to close the ‘policy gap’ for delivering net zero homes by building on existing policies and industry initiatives to establish a net zero budget and decarbonisation trajectory consistent with wider government goals.
“After all the talk, it’s time for action,” said Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive of UKGBC. “The UK government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy is a step in the right direction but fails to address several key priorities that this analysis clearly demonstrates are non-negotiable to achieving a net-zero carbon built environment by 2050.
“The Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap pulls together disparate strands of recent policy and action into one coherent pathway, with clear recommendations for National Government and Local Authorities, as well as the private sector and the wider industry. We urge policy-makers and industry to embed these recommendations into policies and strategies to make good on the promises and commitments of COP26.”
Just ahead of COP26, the UK government launched its repeatedly delayed Heat and Building Strategy, which set out wide-ranging plans for a new grant scheme to drive demand for heat pump technologies, as well as proposals to strengthen energy efficiency standards for buildings, catalyse the market for green mortgages, and refrofit public buildings.
But many observers said that while the plan represented a welcome step forward it lacked the levels of funding and ambition required to deliver deep emissions reductions across the built environment.
As such, UKGBC’s Roadmap today sets out a raft of fresh policy recommendations, including proposals to introduce a national retrofit programme to make homes more energy efficient and transition away from fossil fuel heating, offer new grants for low-income households, and reform Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings to better gauge the best performing buildings. The report also suggests banning the sale of gas and oil boilers from 2030, instead of the government’s proposed date of 2035.
In addition, the Roadmap recommends rolling out energy performance rating schemes across the non-domestic sector and making energy performance disclosure mandatory, alongside policies to regulate embodied carbon in new buildings and refurbishments and set Energy Usage Intensity targets for new buildings.
The new Roadmap was welcomed by Nigel Topping, COP26 High Level Climate Action Champion, who said: “As we start a critical decade for climate action, the United Kingdom can and should take a leadership role. This report epitomises leadership and establishes that the UK built environment has a comprehensive and rigorous plan for abating its emissions across the construction, operation, and demolition of buildings and infrastructure. I invite you all to use this Roadmap for delivering a net zero future.”
In related news, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) today used COP26’s Cities, Regions, and Built Environment Day to publish a new report titled ‘Beyond the Business Case’, which explores how greener buildings can deliver a raft of economic, social, and development benefits, such improved health, productivity, and wellbeing for occupants, lower costs, and enhanced climate resilience.
“As WorldGBC prepares for the dedicated Cities, Regions and Built Environment day at COP26, we recognise the need for a compelling value proposition for all actors across the global real estate sector, as well as the increasing importance of social value,” said Cristina Gamboa, CEO at WorldGBC. “People must be put at the heart of the business case, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to challenge us.
“Real estate alone accounts for 37 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, our report inspires urgency – but urgency with optimism. We champion an achievable transformation that brings future climate scenarios into today’s business decision making, demonstrating total clarity on why no business can afford not to embrace sustainability in real estate.”
Separately, WorldGBC today announced that 44 businesses have signed up to the group’s updated Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, pledging to take increased action to decarbonise the built environment across portfolios and business activities that together boast an annual turnover of $85bn.
The signatories said that by 2030 they would reduce all operational emissions of new and existing built assets; achieve maximum reductions in embodied carbon for new developments and major renovations over which they have direct control; compensate for any residual operational and upfront embodied emissions that cannot be mitigated; and advocate for wider emission reductions via their business activities and report on their impact, to enable and accelerate the sector wide transition to net zero.
Maria Mendiluce, CEO at the We Mean Business Coalition of businesses, said the group had the potential to deliver significant emissions reductions. “The actions being taken by signatories to WorldGBC’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment to tackle whole life carbon are critical because they are driving emissions reductions now and in the future,” she said. “All businesses must ensure they are addressing the emissions from their built assets, which will help grow demand for low-emission buildings and construction materials. Taking full account of the emissions footprint of the built environment now will set us on the right track for a 1.5C future.”
