OPINION
L-R: Tina Paillet, RICS President; Brett Hannam, Strategic Investment Board Ltd; Frances Hill, Bank of England; and Martin Doherty, Chair of RICS regional board in NI.
Decarbonisation and the circular economy should be at the forefront of NI’s agenda DECARBONISATION AND CREATION OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY MUST BE PLACED AT THE FOREFRONT OF DECISION-MAKING IN NORTHERN IRELAND, SAYS RICS PRESIDENT TINA PAILLE, WHO RECENTLY VISITED BELFAST FOR THE RICS NI CONFERENCE…
We all know that the built environment plays a significant part in our climate emergency. Globally, all construction and building operations account for 40% of emissions and, in Northern Ireland, heating buildings alone is 38% of emissions. As we face up to the challenge of delivering net zero by 2050, surveying professionals will be at the heart of achieving this target. In our move towards achieving net zero and making our cities more resilient, we must put decarbonisation and creating a circular economy at the forefront of decision- making. At the recent RICS conference in Northern Ireland, which I was delighted to attend, the overarching theme was the evolving landscape - conquering
challenges together. Ultimately this led to conversations on how we - as custodians of the built environment - can work together to address and tackle the challenges that the sector is facing. At the conference, it was evident to see that RICS members in Northern Ireland are doing great things and with such innovation and professionalism. But, whilst there was a demonstration that surveyors are championing sustainability, there remains a significant challenge and opportunity for all chartered surveyors to do more. These challenges will not just be about decarbonising the energy supply, and the infrastructure development required for that. It is also about reducing the carbon footprint of existing buildings. In order to do so, we need carbon
measurement to become common practice. Understanding the scale and scope of emissions is a key first step. For new developments, we must understand and reduce the carbon footprint from drawing board to deconstruction, and RICS’ updated whole- life carbon assessment (WLCA) standard sets out how to do this. Applicable to all buildings and infrastructure projects, WLCA will guide the industry in a direction that supports greater sustainability and decarbonisation. Positioned to become a world-leading standard for carbon measurement in the built environment, it affirms RICS’ dedication to enabling change and providing members with the tools and resources to decarbonise the built environment.
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