Researchers are calling for the mandatory introduction of specific targets and planning objectives aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions. The Graz Declaration for Climate Protection in the Built Environment, which was adopted by around 400 delegates at the Sustainable Built Environment D-A-CH Conference 2019 (SBE19), comes in response to the high environmental impact in the built environment: buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 35% of greenhouse gas emissions. These figures are even higher if the manufacturing of construction products is taken into account.
Buildings have a long life cycle, according to Professor Thomas Lützkendorf, head of the Chair of Economics and Ecology of Residential Construction at the Karlsruher Institute of Technology, which co-organized the conference with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich and others. They “make a decisive contribution to our quality of life, but they also damage the environment through their resource consumption”, he said. “In addition, buildings not only have long lifespans, but they also have long maintenance and refurbishment cycles”.
To this end, the Graz Declaration demands decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, it calls on policymakers to formulate technologically-neutral requirements for climate protection and highlights the need for adequate infrastructure and human resources in construction research. It also contains recommendations for the real estate and financial sectors, as well as voluntary commitments from delegates.
All of the industry representatives and experts who presented at the conference agreed that working towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is essential for safeguarding natural resources and laying the foundations for social and economic development, and that limiting global warming to under 1.5 degrees Celsius is a crucial objective that must be reflected in the tasks and responsibilities of the people who work in the built environment industry.
