International rescue: China’s route to decarbonisation

To share best practice on decarbonisation and climate resilience, CIBSE has just held knowledge-sharing face-to-face workshops organised by the Chinese government. Anastasia Mylona reports on learnings for both sides

CIBSE was recently invited by the Chinese government to participate in a series of UK-China workshops on decarbonisation and adaptation policy for the built environment.

The workshops were funded by the British Embassy in Beijing and the SuDBE Programme of Chongqing University, and aimed to bring experts together to address some of the most pressing challenges in the field of decarbonisation and climate resilience.

This collaborative initiative brought together UK and Chinese industry experts, policymakers, government officials and academics – first in London and then in Chongqing – to present and discuss current policies within the sectors of buildings and infrastructure.

The result is a report to both governments on various approaches to decarbonisation policy frameworks, as well as a roadmap outlining urgent research needed to support these frameworks.

The CIBSE technical team participated in both workshops. Head of net zero policy Julie Godefroy, research manager Zoe De Grussa, and I covered a range of policies, standards and guidance.

These included national policies such as Part O, and the role of the recently launched Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard (NZCBS) in driving industry decarbonisation efforts. We also discussed CIBSE TM59 and future weather files, and how they were being used to future-proof buildings and services for higher temperatures.

CIBSE representatives worked with Chinese and UK academics and government officials to exchange knowledge, expertise and insights on policies to drive decarbonisation and adaptation in the built environment. The workshops offered a unique opportunity to understand different policy approaches and start a collaboration between both countries on climate resilience and decarbonisation.

A common goal connecting both countries is the decarbonisation of the sector

The built environment is one of the greatest emitters of carbon and other greenhouse gases in the UK and China, and yet policy on the decarbonisation and resilience of the sector is underdeveloped in both countries. As a result, current efforts are uncoordinated and ineffective to meet any national or global carbon-reduction targets.

In China, the Green Buildings policy framework sets national standards that address: safety and durability; health and wellbeing; occupant satisfaction; resource efficiency; and environmental sustainability. The policy is then adapted at regional level to address local climate, financial and social characteristics, and resource availability and requirements.

China’s officials highlighted that the country’s future focus is on financial incentives (developing green finance schemes to promote energy reduction and renewable energy generation), more national and regional regulation development, and data gathering through monitoring strategies.

Although China’s construction sector has focused mainly on new buildings and developments, they see future decarbonisation efforts focusing on the refurbishment of existing stock and the need to learn large-scale retrofit strategies from the UK.

China’s top-down approach, unlike the UK bottom-up style, provides a clear roadmap for achieving national targets. The UK government provides national policy such as Part L and Part O of the Building Regulations, but there is no consistent framework on decarbonisation and resilience.

Rather, the industry is developing standards such as the UKNZCBS, to meet government targets such as net zero by 2050. The voluntary nature of standards and lack of regulatory and financial incentives means there is no clear road to decarbonisation.

However, carbon emissions in the UK have already peaked, and are currently on a downward trajectory. In China, government policy is still working towards reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.

Furthermore, in the UK, the building industry is already quantifying the embodied carbon of buildings (and lobbying for government to regulate it – Part Z), while in China there is little consideration of embodied carbon; instead, the main focus is on reducing operational carbon.

Ultimately, each approach has its positives and negatives, with challenges in implementation, innovation, regional adaptation and incentivisation. But a common goal connecting both countries is the decarbonisation of the sector while securing building assets’ longevity and long-term resilience to climate risks.

CIBSE’s ongoing involvement in shaping policy for a sustainable, net zero future is a key part of the Institution’s global mission to lead and support the built environment in responding to the climate crisis.