Why has retro-fitting stalled? Can we still meet net zero targets in the built environment?

With 40% of carbon emissions coming from the built environment, the construction industry acknowledges that it has a significant role to play in the race to net zero. However, as reported by edie, latest research suggests that emissions reductions have plateaued and, in the US, even reversed so that emissions are on the rise!

Most people are clear on the importance of reducing emissions, both in order to protect the environment and their wallets. So, what has caused this slump? The article refers to barriers such as insufficient private investment, workforce skills shortages and limited awareness. 

I suspect it is not lack of awareness that is preventing action, but rather lack of funds. In the UK at least, there is little support available for homeowners looking to make sustainable improvements. And sustainability measures are still fairly costly to install. With the cost of living crisis ongoing, the payback period is getting shorter, but that still requires the individual to have the capital to invest in the alterations to their property in the first place.

The skills gap is a very real problem. Construction times are extended and costs increased because the workforce simply isn’t there. We need more people trained in the latest technologies and building techniques to ensure properties are as efficient as possible. But who is going to pay for that training? Again, it appears to be left to the private sector to fund the transition and at the moment purse strings remain tight.

It seems that there is still not enough action from the Government to pave the way to our net zero goals. Is net zero by 2050 slipping through our fingertips?

While emissions reduction in the built sector has decreased across several G20 nations, including the UK, France, and Germany, progress has reversed in the US with built sector emissions now on the rise.

https://www.edie.net/report-building-emission-reductions-plateauing-across-g20-countries/
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