LOW CARBON BUILDING REGULATION
percent for homes and nine percent for non-domestic buildings .
These targets will likely be reviewed and adjusted after the next general election . In Scotland the targets are 21 percent for homes and 43 percent for non domestic buildings .
There is a risk , however , that in focusing exclusively on zero carbon emissions in use and on their reduction through legislation , the broader conversation about deliverability of zero carbon and sustainable building is missed .
Shifting the language from ‘ zero ’ to ‘ low ’ and emphasising sustainability should help deliver the current challenge , progressively reduce emissions in a realistic timeframe , and start to think of the next much bigger challenge of whole-life carbon reduction .
Having sat on the Sullivan Panel in Scotland , as part of the Scottish Government ’ s Low Carbon Building Regulations Strategy , it ’ s clear that reducing carbon emissions needs to be deliverable in a realistic timeframe and considerate of the wider climate impact equation .
As such , Scotland has chosen to approach carbon emissions reduction
2050
Reduce greenhouse emissions by
80 %
‘.. the Government has committed to reducing its greenhouse gases emissions by 80 percent before 2050 , and is leading the way in Europe with a target of zero carbon for all new buildings by 2016 ’
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