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BRE hails common carbon language
17/11/09
Edited by Andy Jowett. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has welcomed a "groundbreaking" common carbon metric that will provide a standard measurement of buildings' carbon footprints and could support the development of more green houses.
In March 2009, the BRE Trust joined the UK Green Building Council, the Green Building Council of Australia and the US Green Building Council in signing a memorandum of understanding to develop the common measurement system.
The resulting metric has been backed by the United Nations Environment Programme's Sustainable Building and Climate Initiative, which will highlight the tool to world leaders at December's Copenhagen summit.
Donna McIntire, the initiative's programme officer for buildings and climate change, said: "Common metrics are the keys to consistent measurement and reporting of performance."
Tony Arnel of the World Green Building Council added that buildings provide "by far the most cost-effective carbon reduction potential".
BRE noted that buildings currently account for around 40 per cent of global energy use and 33 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
Around 25 per cent of the UK's carbon emissions come from residential property.
