Property experts have demanded immediate action from the government to help the industry tackle climate change, following new stark findings.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has detailed the extent of human damage to the planet’s atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere in its sixth assessment report.
Many of these changes are irreversible and regardless of any action, global surface temperature will continue to increase for decades.
Responding to the seven-year report, UN secretary-general António Guterres said it was a “code red for humanity”.
Melanie Leech, chief executive at the British Property Federation, said: “The government must provide the right regulatory framework with a credible roadmap to net-zero carbon.
“As an immediate priority, the chancellor should zero-rate VAT for residential retrofit, repairs and maintenance – this will be the most impactful tax change to support the improvement of both the energy efficiency and health and safety standards of our homes.”
Leech said current measures are “still too short-term, particularly for the commercial property investors whose investment decisions today are based on forecasts that span the next several decades to come”.
Rory O’Hagan, director at Assael Architecture, added: “Building energy-efficient homes and retrofitting existing housing stock is a vital puzzle piece to improving the built environment’s impact on carbon emissions and reaching a net-zero future.
“Offsite manufacturing is a key part of this puzzle, and the latest figures from the Green Jobs Taskforce are a stark reminder that not enough is being done to support this part of the housing and construction sector. To significantly reduce the impact of buildings and ‘build back better’ the government must place more emphasis on and invest in green jobs.”
Julie Hirigoyen, chief executive at the UK Green Building Council, said: “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.”
It is widely estimated that a fifth of the UK’s total carbon emissions are directly controlled by the built environment. The UKGBC said this is around 21-22%. Hirigoyen added: “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.”
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