Last week, president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, claiming it imposed “draconian financial and economic burdens” on the country. While the UK government still remains firmly in the accord, prime minister Theresa May was slow to react to Trump’s controversial move and declined to sign a letter condemning the decision.
Add to that the fact that over the past two years, the Conservatives have axed nine green policies and that climate is mentioned only five times in its 2017 manifesto (13 in the Labour manifesto), chances are that real action to help save and sustain planet Earth is unlikely to come from politicians.
But with a world that faces its tropical corals being wiped out by 2100 and 1.5bn people living in areas that have no access to usable water if we don’t keep global warming to within 2°C, it is imperative that action is taken.
And it is here that the built environment, which produces 30% of global carbon emissions, needs to take a stand, regardless of the politics.
Caroline Hill, head of sustainability at Land Securities, says: “A change of mind in the US just goes to show the need for the corporate sector to step up and lead.”
LandSec has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity by 40% by 2030. It is a big target but it is a science-based target and one that the REIT is wholeheartedly committed to achieve.
“The corporate sector needs to now continue its leadership in keeping to the Paris Agreement and at Land Securities, the way we are doing that is through our science-based carbon reduction target, which tells us what carbon reductions we need to achieve to keep within 2°C,” says Hill.
She adds that even the removal of subsidies for green energy by the government should not put corporates off pushing forward with sustainability measures as the cost of renewables is falling.
LandSec is working to reduce its carbon intensity by 40% through three different categories:
- The procurement of electricity and gas – from 1 April 2016 the REIT was using 100% renewable electricity and is now getting 15% of its gas from anaerobic digestion, the only property company to be doing so currently
- Active energy management through measures as simple as making sure lights are turned off in buildings when they are not being used to the hydrogen fuel cell installed in 20 Fenchurch Street, EC3, to generate 300kw of low-carbon, low-emission electricity
- On-site generation through the retrofitting of solar pv panels to its shopping centres, including the 740,000 sq ft White Rose shopping centre in Leeds, where the panels will provide 30% of the landlord’s energy needs.
All of the major UK REITs remain committed to the mission laid out in the Paris Agreement. Hammerson has pledged to remove 757,200 tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030, while British Land has set itself a target of a 55% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020, having already achieved a 44% reduction since 2009.
It is also moving towards 100% renewable electricity – it is currently at 97% – and is installing solar panels on its shopping centres around the country.
“Real estate shapes the way people live, work and shop,” says BL’s head of sustainable places, Sarah Cary. “We know we have a responsibility to manage the buildings’ efficiency, design with lower capital carbon and prepare for future regulation that will affect how people travel to buildings and how our suppliers manufacture them.”
At BL’s redevelopment of 100 Liverpool Street, EC2, Hopkins Architects, AKT II and Greengage have developed plans that reuse as much of the structure as possible, cutting construction costs and reducing embodied carbon by 7,270 tonnes. And at its Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, a month’s free public transport was negotiated for the mall’s 760 retail staff in a bid to encourage them to leave their cars at home. Following the trial, 65% were still using public transport.
“British Land has shown that in reducing carbon emissions we can create value for our occupiers and shareholders,” says Cary.
Hill agrees. She says investors are starting to ask more questions about sustainability measures and demanding more.
Louise Ellison, head of sustainability at Hammerson, says Trump’s headline-grabbing move to exit the Paris Agreement could conversely promote greater collaboration on sustainability issues.
“While Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement is predictable and exasperating, it may prove irrelevant,” says Ellison. “The announcement seems to have promoted greater cooperation between different governments, which could ultimately accelerate progress.”
However, Andrew Waugh, co-founder of architectural firm Waugh Thistleton, which has just completed the world’s largest cross-laminated timber building, a 121-flat scheme in Dalston Lane, E8, for Regal Homes, says the industry still has a long way to go before it can really say it is doing all that it can to combat climate change.
“We said very little when our own government abandoned zero carbon and we continue to view climate-change regulations as an impediment to pass, rather than a benchmark to exceed,” he says. “How rarely does development aspire to go beyond the minimum? Legislation and accords are meant to be the last barrier against failure, not the measure of success.
“Globally, our industry is uniquely positioned to stem this catastrophe but we have failed so far to do much. Our buildings now look much like they did 30 years ago with a token PV array or wind turbine as a nod towards our ‘green’ responsibilities. Let us take this awful, ignorant move of Trump’s and mobilise consultants, developers, planners and contractors to make buildings that truly strive to limit their impact on the world’s survival.”
Do you think the built environment is doing enough to combat climate change? Share your thoughts by tweeting us @estatesgazette using #sustainability
To send feedback, e-mail Samantha.McClary@egi.co.uk or tweet @Samanthamcclary or @estatesgazette
