Industry News

Cities are where climate change is both fuelled and felt: urban areas generate 70 percent of the globe’s CO2, while at the same time 80% of city dwellers are regularly exposed to unsafe air quality. Indeed, cities are essential to fighting climate change, according to new research. It is both a major contributor to the […]

The findings from the preeminent study on green buildings have been released and the results are both surprising and encouraging. An international study of architects, engineers, contractors, owners, specialists/consultants and investors from 86 countries shows that the majority (more than 60%) expect to do the majority of their projects green by 2021. Published by Dodge Data […]

Families in remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa with no grid electricity are benefiting was spread of a new generation of home solar systems. Indeed more than 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to power. A new generation of solar packs, supported by innovating financing system is bring electric power to remote regions. […]

Architects have been urged to reconsider their use of concrete after research found that cement – its key ingredient – was responsible for 8 % of global CO2 emissions Research by the think tank Chatham House, underlines the need for drastic changes in the production and use of concrete, the world’s most used man-made material, because […]

The pioneering Dutch approach to energy-efficient home renovation is being employed in UK social housing and dramatically cutting energy costs. The city of Nottingham has become the first city council to pioneer the “Energiesprong” (energy leap) initiative, which has radically upgraded the energy efficiency of thousands of homes in the Netherlands. More than 150 social housing […]

Brisbane, Australia’s most biodiverse capital city, is to change its City Plan and encourage developers to include green rooftop gardens and communal spaces on new residential buildings. The amended plan, which was announced by Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, cements council support for more green spaces and communal areas, particularly in apartment projects. “Council will […]

The EU’s long-term climate strategy, published in November, says the EU should reach net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest. For this to be possible, 3% of buildings in the EU need to be renovated every year, up from just 1% today. With such a large amount of construction and renovation taking place, there is […]

A former coal mine site in Washington State is in the process of repurposing 1,000 acres of the former mine site into a solar farm. It is part of Washington states plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 1990 levels in less than 2 years from now. The Tono Solar project involves the construction of […]

The cement industry is the world’s second largest industrial emitter of CO2 after steel, accounting from more than 6% of global emissions. If the European cement sector were a country, it would emit as much CO2 as Belgium. The Norcem Brevik Norway is well on the way to becoming the world’s first carbon-free cement plant, a […]

The cost of large-scale solar generation is expected to fall below £40/MWh by 2030, according to the latest assessment by the Solar Trade Association (STA). The organisation said its previous assessment from 2014, which predicted the levelised cost of energy to hit £80/MWh by 2019, has turned out to be too conservative, with the figure […]

Major global investors have urged the United Nation’s COP24 summit in Poland to end all coal burning and introduce substantial taxes on emissions. The group of investors which manage more than $32tn in assets have called for urgent cuts in carbon emissions without which, it warns, the world faces a financial crash several times worse […]

Dramatic action will be needed by governments, cities and business if the global buildings and construction sector is to cut its carbon footprint in line with international agreements, according to a report released at COP24. The 2018 Global Status Report — “Towards a Zero-Emission, Efficient and Resilient Buildings and Construction Sector, from by the Global […]