The UK has ranked in third in a world league for green buildings in a report released by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Norway ranked 1^st and Brazil 2^nd as the countries making the most progress towards developing a zero-carbon built environment.

The RICS Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index that was developed in 2009 uses data from the International Energy Agency to analyse the energy efficiency of homes, offices, vehicles and transport, investment in renewable energy sources and the effective introduction of  policies that support low-carbon building.

The RICS report showed that the UK climbed one place into 3^rd following new government policy improvements such as the new 2020 targets for zero-carbon homes and the introduction of the Code for Sustainable Homes. However, the report also concluded that the UK has room for improvement when it comes to residential energy efficiency and introduction of and investment in renewable energy sources and technologies.

Yvonne Rydin, the author of the report stated that buildings are responsible for around 40 per cent of the world’s emissions and the because of this, a big responsibility to reduce CO2 emissions lies with property developers:

"This is an urgent responsibility for those building new developments as well as those owning, managing and occupier existing ones,

"Our homes, shops, offices, factories and leisure centres all need to make their contribution to the climate change agenda."

The RICS head of research, Stephen Brown, also added that governments around the world also need to provide the right incentives to help developers reduce carbon emissions:

"Governments must provide incentives and implement initiatives to create a zero-carbon built environment,

“The Government should consider cutting VAT on building materials for repair and renovation to five per cent to stimulate the growth of sustainable buildings."

Author:  Thomas Davies

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