Carbon budget plan “halfway there” on whole life carbon says BCIS
A new plan to put the UK back on track with Net Zero targets is welcome, but regrettably overlooks immediate action on whole life carbon, according to the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS).
Responding to the government’s Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), Executive Director James Fiske, who is also Chair of the pan-industry Built Environment Carbon Database steering group, said the plan was a missed opportunity to mandate whole life carbon reporting in new building projects.
Fiske said: “We are quickly running out of chances to reverse emissions in the built environment. There’s a big focus on reducing operational carbon in the carbon budget plan, which is great, as is the push to increase visibility of the embodied emissions linked to industrial products like steel and cement. “However, mentions of whole life carbon reporting in buildings are limited to ‘encouraging’ progress, rather than enforcing it.
“To be clear, we as a sector are more than capable of whole life carbon reporting with a best practice approach – i.e. trained professionals, using reliable data and the right tools, with a standardised methodology, to track carbon accurately. What’s needed to drive this is full buy-in from the government, not a policy that’s halfway there.”
The UK Green Building Council estimates around 25% of UK emissions are directly attributable to the built environment. Analysis conducted as part of UK research
project BuildZero has further shown that the national adoption of regulatory limits on projected embodied carbon emissions in English buildings would be more effective than if delivered at a local authority level. On a national scale, it’s estimated such regulatory limits could cut projected emissions by up to 31%.
The CBGDP confirms government intentions to promote the use of WLCAs to evaluate carbon emissions across all stages of a building or structure’s life. Adoption will be encouraged from the fifth carbon budget onwards, suggesting government input will take effect from 2028 at the earliest.
