Construction must change course on investment and innovation to deliver a genuine green recovery, writes Kris Hudson
2021 will be a defining year in the UK’s drive for net zero. The pandemic has presented a vast opportunity for change, and decisions taken to build back better – and greener – will be scrutinised as we host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November. The UK was the first major economy to commit to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 – and has since pledged to hit 68% of this target by the end of this decade.
Construction will be central to the net zero transition. Globally, the construction and operation of buildings account for 38% of energy-related carbon emissions. While total UK carbon emissions have fallen in the last 30 years, those generated by the industry have been steadily rising – tracking the trend in construction output. With 2021 set to be a year of expansion, emissions are likely to rise further.
From the Green Industrial Strategy to the Construction Playbook, government has made clear that construction has a starring role to play both as an engine of the post-covid recovery and as a force for environmental good. But the challenge is significant, and the relative silence from the chancellor on green policies in the recent Budget raised eyebrows.
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