Climate Action 2016-2017

TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT & URBANISATION
organisations in their own countries to do so.
Second, we will make clear the case for
investment in green building. We will be creating for
the first time a research function which will support
major studies to prove beyond doubt the value of
green building. Already, data tells us that investment
is pouring into green building. A recent report
by GRESB, the organisation which assesses the
environmental, social and governance performance
of property companies and fund managers, paints
a positive picture of real estate investments around
the world. In its assessment of over 750 real estate
companies and funds, representing more than
66,000 assets across 63 countries, with a value of
US$2.8 trillion, property companies are reducing
energy and water consumption, cutting greenhouse
gas emissions, and placing greater focus on
occupant health and well-being.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
WorldGBC will increasingly be showcasing how
green building will contribute towards achieving
many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), demonstrating how climate finance
directed towards green building will achieve
both climate and global development ambitions.
These goals set forth a challenge for
humanity to decouple economic growth from
climate change, poverty and inequality – a
challenge we firmly believe green building can
help to solve. Green buildings are not simply
structures that can save energy, water and
carbon emissions, but they are also catalysts
for social change – and can educate, create
jobs, strengthen communities, improve health
and well-being, and much more. While the 17
SDGs are wide-ranging, from ending hunger
to promoting peaceful and inclusive societies,
there are several goals to which green buildings
are already contributing to in a significant way.
The goal to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote
well-being’ is supported through our Better
Places for People campaign, which focuses on
creating green buildings that support healthier
and happier lives. According to the World Health
Organization, lung and respiratory diseases
associated with poor indoor environment quality
are three of the top five leading causes of death.
Green buildings are helping to ‘promote
sustainable economic growth and employment’
by creating thousands of jobs and addressing
socio-economic issues such as unemployment
and lack of skills. South Africa uses a socioeconomic
framework which guides building
owners to certify buildings not just for their
environmental impact but also for their social
and economic impact, such as job creation.
And green buildings are helping to ‘make
cities safe, resilient and sustainable’, with energy
efficiency and renewable usage leaving them less
reliant on central energy grids, and the creation
of neighbourhoods and communities with access
to public transport and green spaces. And there
are many more – both direct and indirect – such
as education through green building training and
efforts to break down sexism and promote gender
equality in green building workplaces.
SUPPORT FOR GBCS
Finally, we will continue to support the development
of new and existing Green Building Councils in
the global South to become stronger and more
impactful, in order to support their countries in
achieving their INDCS and SDGs. Earlier this year
we were delighted to recognise Morocco Green
Building Council as an official member of WorldGBC.
This Council was formed when a dynamic group of
green building pioneers from Morocco approached
France Green Building Council for advice and
guidance on joining our movement. With this help,
Morocco GBC is now already developing green
building training programmes and certifying green
building projects with HQE, the French certification
scheme, in cities such as Rabat and Casablanca, as
well as more rural areas. Given that sustainability
within buildings represents such a major challenge
"To enable better direct
support for organisations
like Morocco GBC,
WorldGBC is expanding its
regional model to provide
better localised support ."
in the Middle East and North Africa, a region that is
currently home to over 350 million people and will
see urban populations double by 2050, their work is
extremely valuable. To enable better direct support
for organisations like Morocco GBC, WorldGBC is
expanding its regional model, which already exists
in Europe, to provide better localised support that
will be critical to post-COP22 action on the ground in
the global South.
Morocco GBC’s story demonstrates how
our global family of Green Building Councils
can come together to share knowledge and
experiences for mutual benefit – and further
shows the strong links established between
organisations from COP21 in France to COP22
in Morocco. And our global movement of Green
Building Councils and businesses will be out in
full force in Marrakech for the second Buildings
Day, where we will once again highlight to the
world why it’s better to build green.
Terri Wills is the CEO of the World Green
Building Council. Previously, Terri was with the
C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group where she
spearheaded C40’s networks that have had a
direct impact on policy in over half of C40 cities.
Terri also served as the London City Director for
the Clinton Climate Initiative and has worked with
the Government of Ontario on clean technology
and creative industry development; and for the
British Broadcasting Corporation as a Head of
Strategy. Terri is Canadian, based in London, UK.
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC)
is a global member network of Green Building
Councils enabling green building and sustainable
communities through leadership and market
transformation. WorldGBC aims to make all building
and communities sustainable, enabling us to thrive
on our planet today and in the future.
102