THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE 37
controversially, direct action group Extinction Rebellion stopped traffic in several events earlier this year including on major roads in London.
The Government has been paying atten- tion. In June, they committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to “almost zero” by 2050, following the previous target of reducing emissions by 80 per cent by the same date under the Climate Change Act in 2008. Even if this can be achieved however, and
other countries follow suit, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), there is still thought to only be a 50 per cent chance of preventing more than 1.5 degrees of temperature change by 2100. It is not even a given that the UK’s targets will be met, with new coal mines still being opened in the UK (e.g. in
Cumbria), a serious performance gap between design and construction in new homes, and projects such as the potential extension to Heathrow airport all contribut- ing to our carbon footprint. As argued by the IPCC, The Committee
on Climate Change (CCC), an independent body which advises the Government, says that even with “strong international action” to curb emissions, global temperatures still have a 50 per cent chance of rising above 2 degrees by the end of the century. It has been widely agreed that, while 1.5 degrees of warming will cause a shift in our environment, just half a degree more will prove to be disastrous. With some level of impact looking to be
inevitable, the dire situation can produce a feeling of powerlessness, and apathy. But notwithstanding that, the UK housing
industry faces the inescapable challenge of producing homes that must confront the consequences of the actions the world has already taken. Former UK Prime Minister Theresa May,
when announcing the net zero target, tacitly accepted the UK’s disproportionate role in addressing climate change impacts, given its early role in carbon emissions. She said: “This country led the world in innova- tion during the Industrial Revolution, and now we must lead the world to a cleaner, greener form of growth.” On the following pages, we’re going to
take a look at the key areas of the construc- tion sector that climate change will hit. This will be followed up in future issues by features on practical solutions together with advice from industry experts from across the sector.
The built environment
hat role does the construction sector have to play in mitigating climate change? What can be done to remedy the effects of climate change that we know are coming – and those which are here – and how can the industry reduce its carbon-hungry nature? Many lifestyle-orientated suggestions on
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how individuals can make changes to aid the cause have been put forward, from eating less meat, to cycling or taking public transport, or avoiding air travel where possible. On an industry-wide level however, small factors could drastically rise or lower our emissions at a state level. According to the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), the built environment contributes around 40 per cent of the UK’s total carbon footprint, so developers face a big challenge in reaching Government targets – which some argue are themselves inadequate.
Homes in particular are a major factor in the UK’s emissions, with heating and hot water making up 25 per cent of our total energy use, and 15 per cent of our greenhouse gas emissions. Further to this, electricity for home appliances and lighting make up another 4 per cent. Designing homes from the outset to meet stringent energy efficiency standards such as Passivhaus would be a big step towards reducing the industry’s contribu- tion – but perhaps just as important is that homes new and old need to be readied for the almost inevitable outcomes of climate change.
In February this year, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) released ‘UK housing: Fit for the future?,’ which reported: “Greenhouse gas emission reductions from UK housing have stalled, and efforts to adapt the UK housing stock for higher temperatures, flooding and water scarcity are falling far behind the increase in risk from the changing climate.”
The report states that it is essential that homes are adapted for the current and future climate: “Around 20 per cent of homes (4.5 million in England) currently overheat even in cool summers; 1.8 million people live in areas which are at significant risk of flooding; and the average daily water consumption per person across the UK is around 140 litres, above the sustainable level in a changing climate and higher than many other European countries.”
It proposed what it believes should be the five priorities for Government action. These are as follows:
• Performance and compliance, in terms of design standards and the performance gap
• The low-carbon skills gap, likely
worsened by the general skills crisis the industry is undergoing • Retrofitting the 29 million existing homes across the UK to be low-energy as well as resilient to the changing climate • Building new homes, and ensuring they are efficient and resilient in their inception
• Ensuring local authorities have the funding they need for building control, and low-carbon heating be funded past the current commitment to 2021, along- side green loans and fiscal incentives. While it can be hard to put such
warnings and advice into perspective, the impacts they are having on the industry are tangible, and every sub- sector will have a part to play in the future of our climate. There has however been criticism of
the measures already taken – such as in the report ‘Bricks and Water’ by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum. It attacks English councils’ efforts (at least up until 2018): “Progress on adapt- ing English communities to climate change has been very limited and any prior momentum has stalled. Fewer than half (42 per cent) of local authorities have a climate change strategy or adaptation plan.” The report continues: “We are building hard urban catchments, thereby increas- ing the risk of surface water flooding in many places, as the water has nowhere to go. For example, urban green space in England has shrunk by 7 per cent since 2001, and in the last 10 years across UK 22,000 hectares of green spaces has been lost: an area of land twice the size of Liverpool has been turned from green space to hard surface.”
IT HAS BEEN WIDELY AGREED THAT, WHILE 1.5 DEGREES OF WARMING WILL CAUSE A SHIFT IN OUR ENVIRONMENT, JUST HALF A DEGREE MORE WILL PROVE TO BE DISASTROUS
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