We spoke with World Building Council CEO Terri Wills regarding the Advancing Net Zero Project , which is empowering green building councils to reduce their carbon emissions through the implementation of net zero buildings
ESTABLISHED IN 2002 , the World Green Building Council ( WGBC ) is behind some of the most innovative and forward-thinking projects in the world . Uniting over 70 green building councils , CEO Terri Wills is spearheading the delivery of the Advancing Net Zero Project , with the long-term goal for new and existing buildings to become net zero . Resulting from the COP21 in 2015 , the WGBC supports green building councils by employing a number of strategies and providing vital collaboration and guidance to ensure the delivery of a complex , long-term objective .
Wills ’ passion and ambition to drive the project to fruition is clear . “ My role involves really galvanising the green building movement , to inspire councils and support them through setting our key goals for the movement - but find effective ways of leveraging the power of the collective network to really achieve those goals ,” she explains . With three main objectives , the WGBC serves to strengthen and empower each green building council and support them in the delivery of net zero buildings . “ Right now , about a third of global greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions come from buildings ,” adds Wills . “ If we ’ re going to reduce emissions enough to keep us within two degrees , we ’ ve got to combat these issues within buildings .”
With the long-term goal for new buildings to become net zero by 2030 , the membership organisation has stressed that no new buildings should be built below these standards by 2030 , with existing buildings reaching this goal by 2050 . This is in response to research from the International Energy Agency , which has suggested that traditional construction methods would contribute to six degrees of global warming , alongside the growth of property and real estate , resulting in
9