‘Pace should be prioritised over perfection’: Climate Change Committee Progress Report 2023

News

  • Sustainability

08 August 2023

Climate change

Despite the built environment being the UK’s second highest emitting sector, there has been no major reduction in carbon emissions since 2010. The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) 2023 report to Parliament highlights the areas that will need the largest reforms to cut emissions and provides recommendations for improvement.

The CCC’s report emphasises that the built environment has an important part to play in laying a path towards net zero. To accelerate progress, a government policy framework must be implemented. The framework should have a strong focus on heat and energy efficiency. The electricity supply sector will need to reduce emissions by nearly four times the current rate. The report shows the lack of certainty for how to make progress in these areas, especially considering anticipated rule changes that will affect the way buildings are maintained.

Further attention should be on non-residential buildings, which are currently lacking the necessary plans. While the government intends to decide on low-carbon technology, hydrogen, and electrification by 2026, action must be taken now. The next 10 years will be vital to reducing carbon emissions in buildings; waiting three years for the government’s stance means losing valuable time.

According to analysis by the CCC, gas boiler sales should be phased out by 2035, and we will need to see a 30% reduction in total energy demand. There is an emphasis on no-regret and low-regret options – those which are cost-effective and provide little to no hard trade-offs, while providing large benefits in the future.

The report assures that while government should be taking a stronger stance on developing these options, some are already available and will not be affected by the government’s decision in 2026. For new builds, this means focusing on electrical heat, such as heat pumps and networks, as well as fabric efficiency. Importantly, existing buildings should concentrate on energy efficiency measures and retrofit opportunities for heating.

When looking at overall progress, the report paints a worrying picture of the actions needed to reach targets. Currently, the UK falls short of 2030 targets and will require a drastic reduction in emissions to meet them. Progress is being prevented by a lack of urgency and only minor developments in policy. What the UK needs is committed policies, and practical, immediately applicable options.

Internationally, policy changes in the last year represent positive steps to achieve net zero, with the US, China, and the EU all contributing. While the UK has a wealth of research and expertise, policy work focusing on low-carbon technologies and funding improvements must be developed to match the pace.

IWFM’s research and resources

This week, we launched the IWFM Sustainability Survey 2023 which looks at the crucial role of FMs in shaping net zero and energy efficiency plans and removing the bottlenecks to essential investments. Please complete the Survey before it closes on 15 September by clicking here – it only takes 10 minutes.

Across our activities, we have a strong focus on helping our members understand and move forward with net zero and sustainability. For example, our ‘Net zero toolkit’ released provides FMs with a stage-by-stage outline of how to decide, develop, and deliver on net zero targets. We have also hosted several webinars this year about energy, net zero, and Scope 3, with recordings of the events available under in our Insights hub.

We regularly update our Sustainability hub which contains a variety of resources to support workplace and facilities management professionals in advancing the agenda and achieving key outcomes. Find out more by clicking here.

Further reading

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