Date:
Tue, 24 November 2015
COP21: Built Environment crucial to attaining CO2 emissions
targets
RICS to join governments, industry and civil society
groups in Paris for crucial UN climate talks.
The built
environment has a vital role to play in helping governments meet their carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions
targets. These targets are going to be central at the end of the month when 196
governments meet in Paris for a crucial climate change summit hosted by the
United Nations. The meeting, called the 21st Conference of the
Parties or COP21, is of particular significance because world leaders and
negotiators must agree on a new climate deal aimed at curbing the damaging
effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the global climate.
As a
global professional body working in the public interest, RICS will be in Paris
to join stakeholders from governments, industry and civil society to support
efforts to reach an agreement. The commitments made in Paris could have
far-reaching repercussions for the built environment, and the global economy
more generally.
“The property sector has a
huge influence on the global financial system. We want to leverage this influence
to support the efforts of governments as they negotiate a new climate deal in
Paris. RICS is a natural partner for the United Nations. We have worked with
the UN before on creating a framework for businesses to act more responsibly in
relation to their real estate assets. And we want to build on that relationship
by supporting governments as they make adaption and mitigation commitments to
curb the effects of climate change.” – Sean Tompkins, RICS Chief Executive
Officer
Buildings
are some of the biggest emitters of CO2 accounting for one-third of
global greenhouse gasses. Commercial and
residential buildings also account for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. RICS
is working with its members in the land, real estate and construction sectors
to find solutions across the property lifecycle to support more sustainable
business practices.
“India is at the forefront of using renewable power for its energy
consumption with current plans to quadruple its
renewable energy capacity to 175 giga watt by 2022, cut fossil fuel subsidies
and drastically reduce carbon emissions. For COP21, India is looking to garner
financial and technical support to help itself reduce carbon emissions. The
real estate sector in India is one of the top most contributors of CO2, and
with demand still growing at a rapid pace for housing and commercial sector,
this situation is getting severe. RICS in India has been advocating Action
Areas for sustainable development especially creating successful and sustainable future cities, creating talent and
use of modern technologies for construction,” Mr. Sachin Sandhir, Global Managing Director - Emerging
Business, RICS said.
Governments
negotiating at COP21 are under pressure to produce an international climate
agreement that balances environmental ambitions with the global economic
realities. RICS, with its global network
of professionals in more than 140 countries and with the international professional
standards it is developing with other organisations, wants to give governments
the ‘Confidence to Commit’. RICS wants governments to be confident in the
knowledge that the progress made towards their commitments to reduce CO2
emissions can be measured through the tools and expertise the organisation
provides around the world.
“COP21 is all about commitments for
governments as they finalise a climate deal. We want to support these efforts
by making our own commitment to influence our members, their clients and the wider
built environment sector. The commitments we make will have an impact well
beyond COP21 and they must be central to our sector’s response to the challenges
posed by climate change.”
–
Sean Tompkins, RICS Chief Executive Officer
RICS
will also use the Paris summit to contribute to shaping the global agenda by
participating the UN Environmental Programme’s (UNEP) first ever Buildings Day on 3
December 2015 in Paris. As part of the Global Alliance for Buildings and
Construction, our common goal is to address the impact of buildings on the climate,
not just on the occasion of COP21 but far beyond.
For more information:
Ø RICS at COP21 in Paris: http://www.rics.org/uk/news/rics-at-cop21/ and follow
#RICSCOP21
Ø From 2 – 6 December 2015: Chevon Erasmus
Porter, Global Communications and External Relations Advisor on cerasmusporter@rics.org or Tel: +44 (0)
20 7695 1601 or Mobile: +44 (0) 777 256 7136
Ø From: 7 – 9 December 2015: Laura Lindberg, Public Relations Manager for Europe on llindberg@rics.org or +32 4 8647 3345
Note to editors:
Read
our thought leadership on COP 21:
·
Impacting
on the future of every person on the planet by Sean Tompkins, RICS Chief
Executive Officer
·
The
cost of change: saving the climate is not cheap by Simon Rubinsohn, RICS
Chief Economist
·
Collective
action: achieve more, and faster by Curt Garrigan,
Coordinator, Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative, United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP)
About RICS:
RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional
qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real
estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent
delivery of standards – bringing confidence to the markets we serve. We
accredit 118,000 professionals and any individual or firm registered with RICS
is subject to our quality assurance. With offices covering the major political
and financial centres of the world, our market presence means we are ideally
placed to influence policy and embed professional standards. We work at a cross-governmental
level, delivering international standards that will support a safe and vibrant
marketplace in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, for the
benefit of all.
