The government is zeroing in on buildings as big emitters of carbon dioxide with new regulations to ensure that they are energy-efficient and use low-carbon sources of heat. However, regulators have not yet tackled the issue of carbon emitted during construction. According to John Alker, director of policy at the UK Green Building Council, that is a missed opportunity.
In his view, “we need to be radically rethinking how we construct, use, adapt, dismantle and re-use buildings and materials. Construction clients can drive this change throughout the supply chain — and regulation can support this.”
Despite the lack of regulations, a lot of building companies are promising to cut emissions, driven in part by their largest customers demanding that they do exactly that. Many are
