Addressing the challenges of climate change for the built environment

At a strategic level, the last twelve months have seen the publication of the EU Action Plan for Energy Efficiency (Commission of the European communities (CEC), 2006), The Stern Review (Stern, 2006) and the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007a). The Fourth Assessment Report confirms the urgency of the problem of climate change and leaves little room for doubt about the mechanisms and causes. The Stern Review rehearses the economic and political case for action – familiar arguments that will carry unusual weight for having been made by a senior economist at the behest of the British Treasury. The EU Action Plan for Energy Efficiency aims to achieve a 20% energy saving by 2020. The EU’s proposals for buildings are more ambitious, with planned savings of 28%. Priority Action 2 states:

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