Friday, 5th June: Today, on World Environment Day, the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) called on Irish businesses and cities to take bolder climate leadership.
Buildings account for more than one-third of global carbon emissions. Five years after the Paris Climate Agreement, it is high time to act. To facilitate this process, the IGBC call on Irish businesses and cities to take a leadership role and to sign up to the Net Zero Carbon Building Commitment. The commitment, which aims to see 100% uptake of net zero carbon buildings by 2050, challenges businesses and cities to ensure that all buildings they own, occupy and/or develop operate at net zero carbon by 2030.
Pat Barry, CEO of the Irish Green Building Council said: “We are delighted to be part of the Net Zero Carbon Commitment campaign. The 2020 Advancing Net Zero Status Report launched today shows that the technical solutions exist and are being applied to projects around the world. In Ireland, home builders can already offer certified zero carbon homes to home buyers, through the zero-carbon standard within the Home Performance Index certification. We are also encouraging Irish local authorities to commit to zero carbon for new and existing buildings”.
CEO of the World Green Building Council, Cristina Gamboa added: “As we overcome the immediate and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must prioritise resilience. Net zero building can benefit people, economies and the planet and must form a part of the bold and decisive action necessary to tackle the climate emergency.”
Sixty-two of the 96 Commitment signatories to date are businesses, and collectively their action alone will reduce more than 3.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions.
For eligible businesses, the Commitment is one of three pathways to become a member of EP100 from The Climate Group. The 2020 Advancing Net Zero Status Report includes the full list of Commitment signatories, as well as updates on key progress that has been made by signatories.
The WorldGBC’s Commitment for zero carbon buildings places energy saving at its heart. This approach is completely aligned with global leader in sustainable building solutions, Kingspan, who sponsor the Advancing Net Zero project and became a signatory of the Commitment in September 2019.
Bianca Wong, Global Head of Sustainability at Kingspan, sponsor of the project and Commitment signatory said: “We are proud to support and be a part of the critically important Net Zero Carbon Commitment project and welcome the latest status support. Only through collective action can we achieve our ultimate goal of a decarbonised built environment by 2050.”
This year’s World Green Building Week (21–25 September) will aim to raise awareness about Net Zero Carbon Buildings and to encourage local authorities to take concrete action for the decarbonisation of buildings. The campaign will showcase net zero carbon leadership action and demonstrate the benefits of net zero buildings to planetary and human health, creating resilient communities and economies.
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