From residential to commercial buildings, the UK’s built
environment is responsible for 25% of the UK’s greenhouse gas
emissions. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) warns that to
date there has been a lack of Government impetus or policy levers
to assess and reduce these emissions. With climate deadlines
looming, urgent action is needed.
To reduce the levels of CO2 in construction, for
instance when using cement and steel, EAC recommends that the
Government introduce a mandatory requirement for whole-life
carbon assessments for buildings. This requirement should be
fully incorporated in building regulations and the planning
system. Such an assessment would calculate the emissions from the
construction, maintenance and demolition of a building, and from
the energy used in its day-to-day operation. The UK is currently
lagging behind countries such as The Netherlands and France which
have established mandatory whole-life carbon assessments for
their built environment.
Once these assessments are in place, the Government should
develop carbon targets for buildings to align with the UK’s net
zero goals. A clear timeframe for introducing whole-life carbon
assessments, and ratcheting targets, should be set by the
Government by the end of 2022 at the latest, and they should be
introduced not later than December 2023.
Retrofit and reuse of buildings, keeping the carbon locked in,
should be prioritised over new build. While the Government states
it is prioritising retrofit and reuse, the Committee is concerned
that reforms to permitted development rights appear to have
created an incentive for demolition and new-build over retrofit.
The Government must therefore urgently evaluate the impact of
recent reforms to ensure that retrofit and reuse are
prioritised.
Where retrofit is not possible, EAC recommends efficient and more
effective use of low-carbon building materials. The Government’s
investment in the development of low-carbon cements is welcome,
and mandating whole-life carbon assessments for buildings could
encourage the use of more recycled steel and other recycled
building materials. EAC recognises the potential of timber as a
low-carbon construction material, though the Committee identified
significant hurdles to its wider use, such as appropriate
sourcing, enhanced tree planting and a current skills gap in
timber use in construction.
As EAC has identified in previous reports, the UK is facing a
chronic skills gap in energy efficiency and retrofit. Without
these vital green skills in the UK economy, net zero ambitions
will fall flat. EAC is therefore reiterating its previous
recommendation that a retrofit strategy and upskilling programme
be developed and published. In addition, EAC recommends that
training in undertaking whole-life carbon assessments is made
accessible through the education system.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“From homes to offices, retail units to hospitality venues, our
buildings have a significant amount of locked-in carbon, which is
wasted each time they get knocked down to be rebuilt, a process
which produces yet more emissions.
“Ministers must address this urgently. Promising steps are being
taken: for instance, the Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities
Secretary of State recently paused the demolition and retrofit of
Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street on environmental grounds.
“But much more needs to be done, and baseline standards for
action need to be established. Mandatory whole-life carbon
assessments, and targets to crack down on embodied carbon,
provide part of the answer. Constructors and developers can then
determine which low-carbon materials, such as timber and recycled
steel, they can use.
“As in many other areas in the drive to net zero, the UK must
have the green skills to make its low carbon future a reality.
Before the summer recess in July, I urge the Government to
publish a retrofit strategy and upskilling programme that can
ensure the UK economy will have the green jobs necessary to
deliver a low-carbon built environment.”
Notes to editors:
- EAC recommends that whole-life carbon assessments be
mandated, not later than December 2023, for buildings above a
gross internal area of 1000m2, or those which create more than 10
dwellings. The recommendation is not intended to extend to the
construction or extension of individual domestic properties.
- A full list of conclusions and recommendations can be found
on page 65 of the report.
