Exclusive: City buildings on track to be collectively carbon negative by 2027
Buildings in the City are on track to be collectively carbon negative by 2027, according to new research shared exclusively shared with City PM today.
Drafty buildings produce 40 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, which London has been tackling for more than decade. Emissions from offices, homes and factories have shrunk steadily since 2012.
However, they are still forecast to emit almost 10m tonnes of CO2 over the next five years, according to analysis by the Active Building Centre (ABC), a government-backed research centre working on the UK’s net zero strategy by decarbonising buildings, with the majority being pumped out of commercial properties, home to over 542,000 workers.
With other boroughs lagging behind the City, every new building in London must be built to be net zero to meet emissions targets, ABC chief commercial officer, Lee Chambers explained.
“It is clear that reducing the emissions from London’s buildings will be key to the city meeting the mayor’s net zero by 2030 target,” he added.
“A crucial first step in this effort will be to ensure that every new building in London is designed to make sure that it emits net zero carbon.”
With the quality of new builds weighing heavily on London’s net zero target, homes and offices will need a “wholesale upgrade” with higher standards for newbuilds and better insulation for existing buildings, Chambers added.