CIB W116—Smart and Sustainable Built Environments - Test Input

eduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol 1 during the commitment period of 2008 to 2012 (Article
3). This is because, irrespective of the lack of current obligations to reduce GHG emissions, these
countries have a moral responsibility to contribute to the global efforts to deal with climate change
mitigation. Further, one of the key criticisms against the Kyoto Protocol is that it is flawed as imposes
obligations of GHG reductions only on a handful of developed countries. Thus, once the Kyoto
Protocol ends in 2012, any post Kyoto mechanism the UNFCC members might agree on might have
mandatory emission reduction targets for non Annex 1 Countries.
However, the initiatives that may be taken by governments to mitigate the emission of GHGs from the
construction industry might have direct or indirect impact on construction activities. For example, the
legislative and policy instruments may influence new building designs, technologies and construction
standards, and drive up the cost of construction.
The International Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) has identified the key impacts of
climate change on construction. According to them, weather related impacts such as flooding, coastal
erosion, and subsidence will require new building techniques and materials to withstand adverse
weather conditions. In addition, it may influence the choice of site. Further, when the insurance sector
begins to factor impacts of climate change into premiums, the cost of construction will go up (IIGCC,
2004). A British study of possible effects of climate changes on buildings and construction shows that
an increase in average wind speed of 6% could damage roughly a million buildings in Great Britain,
with repairs costing around GBP 1–2 billion (Graves and Philipson, 2000).
The Building Control (Environmental Sustainability) Regulations 2008 of Singapore, which has
introduced a new minimum environmental standard for buildings, is a good example of a specific
legislative action that has been taken to deal with climate change. These regulations which apply to
the following types of buildings have resulted in a construction cost increase, as the contractors and
developers now have to install various green features into the construction (Gunawansa, 2008):
• All new building works with gross floor area of 2000 m2 or more;
• Additions or extensions to existing buildings which involve increasing gross floor area of the
existing buildings by 2000 m2 or more;
• Building works which involve major retrofitting to existing buildings with existing gross floor
area of 2000 m2 or more.
The Green Building Mission that has been launched in Malaysia, in March 2007, with the aim to
discuss sustainability and environmental issues in construction and to recommend possible solutions
for sustainable building policies in Malaysia, is a good example of a non-statutory voluntary action.
1 The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCC). It sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community
for reducing GHG emissions .These amount to an average of 5 percent against 1990 levels over the five-year
period 2008-2012.
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