MARRAKECH, Morocco -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --
RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) is continuing to push for the built environment sector to lead in achieving its global climate change commitments as the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) gets underway in Marrakech, Morocco from 7 – 18 November 2016.
Last year, RICS joined governments, industry and civil society groups at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), in Paris, France. The global climate change summit, facilitated by the United Nations, delivered a historic agreement when, for the first time, 191 nations committed to collectively addressing the effects of climate change.
The “Paris Agreement” aims to keep the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It was signed by all negotiating countries and has thus far been ratified by 75 member states.
At COP22 in Morocco, RICS once again fulfils its role as a founding partner in the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) which is a coalition of over 90 countries and non-state actors aiming to work towards a low carbon and resilient building sector.
The GABC was launched at COP21 last year and has become a powerful and collective voice mandated to unite the whole built environment value chain to reduce the impact of construction and buildings on the climate.
“Paris was historic in delivering a global agreement that saw developed countries who are among the biggest carbon emitters, and developing countries, who largely suffer the consequences of these emissions, come together to agree that urgent action is needed to curb the effects of climate change. Now, one year on in Marrakech, RICS will once again join our global partners and look to consolidate and coordinate our efforts in pursuit of the commitments we all agreed to at COP21. I am proud of our role in making the Paris Agreement a reality together with our partners in the GABC.”
Sean Tompkins, RICS Chief Executive Officer
Within the GABC, RICS is co-leading a working group with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to investigate how more systematic data collection, consistency and accountability can drive better policymaking and higher levels of energy efficiency investments in buildings.
RICS is encouraging stakeholders across the built environment to support its COP22 efforts by participating in the GABC’s “Data Capture and Management Survey”. The survey calls on the whole built environment value chain – such as built environment professionals, policymakers, financing institutions, investors as well as building owners and tenants - to provide insights on the type of data they are currently collect, for what purpose, and the specific challenges they are facing regarding more systematic data capture and management.
“Buildings Day in Paris gave us a mandate. As professionals we now need to act on it. To track progress on their COP21 commitments, governments and stakeholders alike need solid baseline data and measurement. Our position as a standard-setter and global professional body means we can provide tools and services that will help to create greater consistency and transparency on actual environmental performance.
Ursula Hartenberger, RICS Global Head of Sustainability
RICS is working with other professional bodies on international standards that can provide comparable data on property size through International Property Measurement Standards (IPMS) and also through International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) to calculate aspects of construction costs. These are vital tools that can provide credible data that will lead to more informed decision-making at policy and investment levels. See http://www.rics.org/COP for more.
The 2° challenge & common standards:
Our progress and stories from around the world
WATCH: How the real estate sector is responding to climate change
As the world prepares itself for COP22 in Marrakech, we are keenly aware that property professionals are not yet taking climate change seriously enough. That conclusion was also shared by real estate experts at the climate change keynote session at the World Built Environment Forum Summit in Washington DC earlier this year. (32min 27sec)
AUSTRALIA:
International standard should underpin new NABERS apartment rating tool
A new energy efficiency rating system for apartments should adopt a new global measurement standard in order to ensure maximum – and global – effectiveness of the system. By adopting the International Property Measurement Standard (IPMS) as the basis for its new rating system, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) programme can establish a new Australian standard in energy efficiency which can be exported globally. (August 2016)
EUROPEAN UNION:
Why we need a common European energy certificate for non-residential buildings
Harmonised reporting and more robust benchmarks for non-domestic buildings across the EU could pave the way for more transparency and investment in the energy efficiency improvements of buildings. (June 2016)
Green building assessment – the EU approach
The EU Commission unveiled a set of six priorities that will be translated into indicators during 2016. The proposed objectives include the most significant environmental and functional performance aspects that have an influence on the lifecycle of buildings. (June 2016)
UNITED KINGDOM:
UK Government estate to be measured using IPMS
The UK Government has announced that it will adopt the RICS professional statement and measure its estate to new International Property Measurement Standards (IPMS: Office Buildings), a new international standard which sets out how to measure property assets. (February 2016)
UNITED STATES:
RICS supports White House efforts to promote resilience in the built environment
The White House hosted the Conference on Resilient Building Codes to highlight the critical role of building codes in furthering community resilience, and the importance of incorporating resilience and the future impacts of climate change into the codes and standards development process. (May 2016)
About RICS
Confidence through Professional Standards
RICS promotes and enforces the highest professional qualifications and standards in the development and management of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure. Our name promises the consistent delivery of standards – bringing confidence to the markets we serve.
We accredit 125,000 professionals and any individual or firm registered with RICS is subject to our quality assurance. Their expertise covers property, asset valuation, real estate management; the development of infrastructure; and the management of natural resources, such as mining, farms and woodland. From environmental assessments and building controls to negotiating land rights in an emerging economy; if our members are involved the same professional standards and ethics apply.
We believe that standards underpin effective markets. With up to seventy per cent of the world’s wealth bound up in land and real estate, our sector is vital to economic development, helping to support stable, sustainable investment and growth around the globe.
With offices covering the major political and financial centres of the world, our market presence means we are ideally placed to influence policy and embed professional standards. We work at a cross-governmental level, delivering international standards that will support a safe and vibrant marketplace in land, real estate, construction and infrastructure, for the benefit of all.
We are proud of our reputation and work hard to protect it, so clients who work with an RICS professional can have confidence in the quality and ethics of the services they receive.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161107005551/en/
CONTACT:
RICS East Asia Public Relations Representatives
Ms Esther Kam / Ms Penn Leung
T: 3159 2978 / 3159 2986
E: esther.kam@creativegp.com / penn.leung@creativegp.com