RESNET Joins United Nations in Call for Action on Buildings and Climate Change

The Kyoto Climate Change Protocol gave the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the responsibility for facilitating the negotiations for the successor to the international climate treaty which is set to expire in 2011. One of the failings of the protocol was that it did not inadequately effect building energy performance. The United Nations is in the process of negotiating the successor treaty to Kyoto. It is expected that the U.S., China and India will be the parties of the next treaty,

One of the failings of the Kyoto protocol was that it did not inadequately affect building energy performance. To ensure that the building sector is adequately covered in the successor treaty, the United Nations has formed the Sustainable Buildings & Construction Initiative (UNEP SBCI) that will make recommendations to the UNEP and the national leaders that will be negotiating the new climate change treaty. RESNET is a member of the UNEP SBCI. Other organizations representing the U.S. on the panel are Natural Resources Defense Council and the US Green Building Council.

The SBCI has issued a call for action for the industry to support efforts to include building energy performance in the international climate treaty. The call for action finds:

Building have the greatest potential for delivering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cuts, at the least cost, using available and mature technologies.Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of global energy use and up to 30% of global GHG emissions.
Countries must support the building industry to meet their existing commitments to Kyoto Protocol and to the Bali Roadmap.
The building industry can deliver significant cost savings and improvements in energy and resource use. It can also create jobs and improve local economies.

It calls for Copenhagen's climate change framework to:

Recognizing buildings as a top priority for achieving GHG emissions reductions.
Enable market-based measures that can support investment in building projects that are energy efficient and reduce GHG emissions.
Building capacity and transfer technology to enable improvements in energy efficiency of buildings.
Supporting reform of flexible mechanisms to encourage investment in projects that improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from new and existing buildings.
For the UNFCCC to establish working groups to develop specific measures for the building industry prior to the next commitment period.
Encourage governments to inventory and set performance goals for GHG emissions from national building stocks.

RESNET supports the call for action and urges the U.S. negotiating team to the climate talks to adopt the principals contained in the call. The SBCI has produced a PDF version of the call to action on buildings and climate change. Clink here to download a PDF version of the SBCI call for action. The RESNET network is urged to download the call for action and share it with their partners, peers and allies.

By working together, the building performance industry can influence the process and make improved building performance a key element in the international treaty.