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Sustainable buildings can help tackle the climate emergency and boost health and wellbeing in the wake of Covid-19, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has argued.<\/h3>\nSustainable buildings can help tackle the climate emergency and boost health and wellbeing in the wake of Covid-19, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has argued.<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
pbctoday<\/em> writes:<\/p>\n The WorldGBC has launched the \u2018Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere\u2019 \u2013 a new strategy to tackle wellbeing and\u00a0resource efficiency<\/a>\u00a0issues in the built environment.<\/p>\n Based on climate science and the Global\u00a0Goals of Sustainable Development\u00a0(SDGs), the strategy tackles global warming, health and wellbeing and resource impacts to deliver quality infrastructure.<\/p>\n Buildings are responsible for almost 40% of global carbon emissions and 50% of global material use. 91% of people and their families live where air pollution levels exceed\u00a0World Health Organization<\/a>\u00a0limits. People spend 90% of their time indoors, so the quality of the indoor environment is critical in fighting infectious disease transmission.<\/p>\n By 2050, the global population will increase to 9.8 billion and the world\u2019s building stock will double, accelerating devastating environmental, social and economic impacts of the built environment.<\/p>\n Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council, said: \u201cTo tackle the world\u2019s most pressing issues such as climate change and the\u00a0Covid-19 pandemic<\/a>, WorldGBC\u2019s new strategy establishes three \u2018North Star Goals\u2019 for our sector: Climate Action, Health & Wellbeing, and Resources and Circularity.<\/p>\n \u201cTo reach these goals, our network has outlined key milestones for 2030 and 2050 and seven impact pathways to achieve them.<\/p>\n \u201cA sustainable future is the only future, and history will judge us tomorrow on what we do today. Together with our network\u2019s leadership and solutions, we will continue to scale up collective action for\u00a0net-zero carbon, healthy and\u00a0sustainable built environments<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the face of Covid-19, these efforts will enable the much-needed green and equitable economic recovery all around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Emmanuel Normant, VP sustainable development at\u00a0Saint-Gobain<\/a>, commented: \u201cI welcome the launch of the renewed WorldGBC strategy, Sustainable Buildings for Everyone, Everywhere, developed around three essential areas \u2013 climate change, health and wellbeing, resources and circularity.<\/p>\n \u201cThis document, that is very aligned to Saint-Gobain\u2019s approach, will be a key milestone to shape the buildings of tomorrow.<\/p>\n \u201cIts North Star Goals will become a reality with significant training and information, voluntary commitments along the value chain and proactive advocacy towards policymakers.\u201d<\/p>\n John Alker, director of policy & places at\u00a0UK Green Building Council<\/a>, added: \u201cThe buildings and places where we live and work are a key determinant of health and wellbeing \u2013 for both people and planet.<\/p>\n \u201cWorldGBC\u2019s incontrovertible North Star goals represent a call to action for the built environment sector, to do everything in our power to tackle head on the climate and\u00a0biodiversity crisis<\/a>, and help address complex socio-economic issues.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Green Building Council network, from local to global, provides a community through which we face these challenges together. This strategy sets the tone for what will be a defining decade.\u201d<\/p>\n WorldGBC\u2019s sustainable buildings strategy can be read\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\nScaling up net-zero carbon action<\/h2>\n
Tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis<\/h2>\n