Sustainability Flashcards
What does sustainability mean?
Sustainability is meeting the current needs of the planet without compromising the needs of those in the future.
What is BREEAM?
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology. BREEAM is a suite of validation and certification systems for the built environment. You can be certified to different levels, e.g. Good, Very Good, Excellent, etc. Wide range of metrics.
We have completed many BREEAM projects. The Launchpad is Outstanding
What is FTSE?
FTSE for good green revenue % - last year was 39% of our buildings with a sustainability accreditation aka ‘green revenue’ reporting
What is WELL?
WELL is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and well-being, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind. It goes bronze, silver, gold, platinum. Focuses on air and water quality.
MSC - The Spine, UoB and Overbury - Paradise Circus
What is LEED?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A widely used green building rating system which is typically based on America. Taipei 101 in Taiwan is a tall LEED building
What is the Passivhaus standard?
Whole building approach with measured targets, notably air tightness. Buntingford School
What is a WLCA?
Whole life carbon assessments. Competitors are OneClick, eTool and others being developed
What is EnerPhit?
Relaxed passivhaus standard for retrofit projects where they cannot meet existing passivhaus targets due to conversation or existing architecture issues
What are the Paris Agreements?
Legally binding international treaty on climate change adopted at COP21 in 2015. The Agreement is a long-term temperature goal of 1.5 degrees which should not be exceeded if we do not wish to experience substantial impacts of climate change. According to the UN environment programme, we are ‘significantly off track’ – possibly to 3 degrees as stated in some sources
What are the UK’s net zero targets?
Climate Change Act 2019 - All UK emissions are set to be net zero by 2050, Scotland by 2045, Wales (public sector only) by 2030 under the 2021 Net Zero Strategy – GHG emissions have to be equal to those removed from the atmosphere
What is COP?
COP (conference of the parties) – COPs happen every year, reviewing everything which has been submitted by the parties. The most recent, COP28 was held in Dubai.
The key takeaways were dedicated funds for damaged to vulnerable countries, discussing nature conservation and signalling ‘the beginning of the end’ for fossil fuels.
What are the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals?
17 goals in total. In Construction, we focus on goals, such as 9 ‘infrastructure’, 11 ‘sustainable cities and communities’, 12 ‘responsible consumption and production
What is the SKA?
Environmental rating for commercial fit outs made by RICS. It had a transfer recently. Targets energy, carbon waste, wellbeing, etc.
What is the IPCC?
The IPCC is an environmental body of the UN. Its role is to advise scientifically on climate change/human activities. IPCC reports are released every 7 years, latest was 2023 and we’re off track. We’re already at 1.1 degrees which is unprecedented, ecosystems are collapsing and we need finance to scale solutions. By 2100, we’ll hit 3.3 degrees on current trajectories
What are science based targets?
Science Based Target initiative is a collaboration where companies sign up to get their climate targets verified. MSG’s are from a 2019 baseline:
Overall target for MSG is to be net zero across our value chain by 2045.
Reduce scope 1 and 2 by 60% by 2030 then 90% by 2045
Our scope 3 emissions need to be reduced by 42% by 2030 and 90% by 2045
PPN is only mandatory scope 3 categories – what we pay for directly
What is a Just Transition?
How we can move from a high carbon economy to a low carbon economy in a fair way. For example, decarbonising the steel industry. Port Talbot example