What do the outcomes of COP-26 mean for the Construction Industry?

Climate event of the year, COP-26 was a conference held at the end of October. Covered by media outlets worldwide, it was a huge topic of discussion for individuals both professionally and personally.

There were a series of key takeaways from the conference in how policymakers can combat climate issues, and at CS2 we are also particularly interested in how this will affect the Construction Industry and our clients.

COP-26 had a dedicated day focused on issues regarding the built environment, and with this in mind, we have comprised some key takeaways from the two-week summit:

Companies will need to put Biodiversity at the top of their agenda

Having received some attention at CoP26, Biodiversity is an increasing board-level discussion, particularly in light of likely utilisation in the form of Carbon Off-Setting, whilst avoiding the risky ‘green washing’ label.  Our buildings will continue to consume energy, whilst a PV array will allow for a degree of microgeneration, given the increasing number of Electric Vehicles and data centres to support home working, we will invariably find a shortfall in carbon calculations.  Therefore, a further option must be explored – rewilding.

In new construction projects post-occupancy forecasting on energy use is built into the 2018 BREEAM standard, along with a greater focus on embodied carbon in the supply chain or Scope 3 Emissions, projects will have to evaluate a form of off-setting or as a construction company be left with an excess of Scope 1 (natural gas / oil) and 2 emissions (electricity).  If microgeneration cannot meet the balancing needs, nature must be strongly considered.

Put simply, forests are highly efficient and cost-effective removers of carbon from the atmosphere. According to recent research they remove a net 7.6 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually and sequestered twice as much carbon as they emitted between 2001-19.

Landlords, funds, tenants, and construction companies will have to place Biodiversity on the agenda, set a strategy and move forward in Bio-Balanced Carbon method.

Urban Climate Action Programme

The UK has pledged £27.5m of dedicated funding for the new Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) to help them in their efforts, used to support urban areas to achieve net-zero, The UCAP will be used to support cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America to implement climate action plans and move to low-carbon infrastructure with the aim to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Understanding into the Carbon Footprint of Cities

Reducing the carbon footprint in cities will be essential for stopping climate change. The emissions from homes, schools, workplaces, hospitals and other urban buildings are responsible for 40% of the global carbon emissions: by 2050, 1.6 billion people will be living in cities, and they will face the consequences of extremely high temperatures and will be at risk of rising sea levels and coastal flooding.

Climate Action Starts at Home: Tackling Climate Change Locally

There are various local climate change schemes that aim to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change. These include Local Net Zero Programme and The Gateshead District Energy Scheme.

For more information about anything mentioned in this article, or for specific advice for your business, please contact CS2’s Energy and Sustainability Consultant James Cutter.