Levels of emissions from buildings, often referred to as common carbon metrics, are monitored in various ways in different countries and produce variable results.

Now, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has recognising the need for a unified approach to the reporting and measuring of carbon emissions.

At a United Nations Environment Programme Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative (UNEP-SBCI) meeting in Shanghai, earlier this month, delegates heard a global approach was on the cards.

Gajanana Hegde, from the UNFCCC, said: “The building industry must define a set of default factors or averages that can be used globally.

“These would need to consider the appropriate variables such as building types, climate zones and economic conditions that would allow projects to simply reduce carbon emissions below such averages and reap the benefit as tradable carbon credits.”

Luke Walsh

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