The Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommends a new target for the UK: net zero emissions by 2050. The target will deliver on the commitment that the UK made by signing the Paris Agreement. It is achievable with known technologies, alongside improvements in people’s lives, and within the expected economic cost that Parliament accepted when it legislated the existing 2050 target for an 80% reduction from 1990.
However, this is only possible if clear, stable and well-designed policies to reduce emissions further are introduced across the economy without delay. Current policy is insufficient for even the existing targets. On 2 May 2019, the Committee published its advice to Government on a Net Zero target for the UK, read the full report here. This recommendation was followed by government, and the UK adopted a legal target of Net Zero by 2050.
CIBSE has long been active on the topic of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and linking it to building performance. To increase our efforts, in July 2019 CIBSE produced its first Climate Action Plan, mapping our current and planned activities in the areas where we have a duty and the ability to act as a professional institution. We committed to review our plan regularly. The current version, published in November 2023, can be downloaded below.
In June 2021, CIC launched its CIC Climate Action Plan. CIBSE is a signatory and very much supports it, having been very active in its creation. The plan includes significant steps which should deliver real progress towards Net Zero and climate adaptation, such as joint industry guidance, mandatory CPD and working with higher education institutions.
The plan builds on our own CIBSE Climate Action Plan and we are really pleased to see other institutions develop their own plans and look forward to continuing our work internally, with our members, and with other organisations.
Under the CIC plan we committed to produce implementation proposals by COP26. This is now available to download here.
Members may also be interested in the independent members-led Building Services Engineers Declare initiative.
CIBSE has also been involved with the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI) – to find out more about how CIBSE guidance relates to LETI, see the link below.