Climate change is an ever-growing issue and one which transcends borders and industries. With the challenges posed by climate change only becoming more apparent, the question which often remains is what more can the construction industry do to help alleviate this threat? If the Construction Industry Council’s letter to the Chancellor is anything to go by, then the answer is a lot more – but only with significant government support.

In the letter posted to the Treasury last week, the CIC proposes that the government takes significant steps to empower the construction industry to help reduce carbon emissions (for which the operation of buildings accounts for around 15% of the UK’s total emissions) and set an example for other businesses. Requests include:

• working with the government to prepare a National Retrofit Strategy which, if supported by tax cuts, would see buildings retrofitted and refurbished to reduce their carbon emissions, as well as create new jobs
• subsidising education into "green skills" to harness innovation and develop new low carbon technologies
• promoting these values through Government projects which are the source of around 40% of the work done in the industry

The letter also addresses the importance of managing supply chain issues and providing funding to ensure individuals are up to date with the latest building safety regulations.

Whether these factors will be addressed in the Chancellor’s budget on 27 October 2021, of course, remains to be seen, though many of the CIC’s suggestions seem positive and suggest a desire within the industry to adapt and grow to meet the challenges posed by climate change.

You may be wondering however as to how you can adapt your own projects to ensure they are environmentally responsible? Well, on Wednesday 28 October 2021, from 09:30 to 10:30am, our Junior Property Professionals (JPP) group is hosting a panel, looking at what ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) means for the construction and real estate sector and how this can be incorporated into your own projects going forward. While aimed primarily at graduates, associates and others starting in their property career, all our welcome. So why not sign up and find out more? Further details can be found at the link below:

https://www.stevens-bolton.com/site/events/eventlisting/event717_8442