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The housing sector must not forget about sustainability as the threat of climate change rises

Despite climate change rising up the national agenda, new research reveals it is not a major priority for the housing sector. Alan Winter explains why this must change

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Despite climate change rising up the national agenda, new research reveals it is not a major priority for the housing sector. Alan Winter explains why this must change #ukhousing

The housing sector must not forget about sustainability as the threat of climate change rises writes Alan Winter #ukhousing

With the recent Extinction Rebellion protests and Greta Thunberg’s ‘school strike for climate change’ movement across Europe, there has been an upsurge of media interest in climate change in recent months.

This is to be welcomed. The attention given to these, however, only highlights the lack of public debate on climate change and sustainability.

Research by the London Regional Centre for Expertise in education for sustainability has shown that action on climate change is not a priority for the housing sector.

Concerns over funding, supply and the impact of Brexit has led to professional engagement being limited.

Together with Chartered Institute Housing’s London board, I am giving a presentation at the annual conference in Manchester that aims to encourage housing professionals to think about how we can change attitudes towards sustainability.

This will be linked to an online survey aimed at finding out how housing professionals engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly established 17 SDGs as the key elements of a framework designed to provide the way forward for action on climate change.

The UK has in many ways been at the forefront of the push to reduce carbon emissions.


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The Climate Change Act 2008 and the Code for Sustainable Homes 2006 introduced important targets, for example, the requirement for all new housing to be zero carbon by 2016.

The Stern Review, published in in 2006, identified ways in which the UK economy could be transformed into a more sustainable model.

One of its key messages was that while tackling climate change was an urgent issue, it was not too late to take effective action. Thirteen years on, what have we been doing?

“The Climate Change Committee’s report UK housing: Fit for the future?, published in February this year, contains a damning message for the sector. Concluding that UK homes are not fit for the future, the report calls for action across a range of areas”

Some would argue that we have made little progress since then. Although there are examples of good practice across the sector, the story since 2008 has largely been one (at best) of slow progress and (at worst) stagnation.

The Committee on Climate Change’s report UK housing: Fit for the future?, published in February this year, contains a damning message for the sector. Concluding that UK homes are not fit for the future, the report calls for action across a range of areas.

These include a major programme to retrofit the 29 million existing homes and build new homes to a much higher environmental standard, matched by a commitment to greater government action and funding.

The UK housing sector needs to eliminate carbon emissions entirely if we are to meet our climate change targets.

Between 2016 and 2017, domestic energy use increased – action is increasingly urgent.

Significantly, the report identified a skills gap across the built environment professions. My own research intends to highlight this gap in the social housing sector and calls for cultural change.

Housing professionals need to have a much higher level of knowledge and understanding of sustainability for the future.

Yet, the housing profession is largely unaware of, and disengaged with, the sustainability agenda. With some exceptions, the housing profession doesn’t talk about climate change and sustainability.

There are three strands to sustainability, but when housing professionals talk about sustainability they tend to view it through the lens of the social and economic aspects rather than the environmental.

“Housing professionals need to have a much higher level of knowledge and understanding of sustainability for the future”

How do we change this situation?

How can we shift the focus of social housing’s priorities towards tackling climate change and achieving a sustainable future?

There is no shortage of ideas for tackling the risks posed by climate change – what is needed is the will to make them happen.

The government’s record since 2010 suggests that we can’t expect much change in regulation or government targets that would push our profession towards sustainability. We will need to make that change happen ourselves.

Please join us at the Manchester conference – our presentation will take place at 11.00am on Tuesday 25 June in the Charted Institute of Housing members’ lounge.

If you are interested in participating in our survey, further information is available at lsbu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/what-is-the-housing-profession-doing-for-the-sustainable-d-2 until midnight on July 5.

Dr Alan Winter, visiting fellow London South Bank University and Chartered Institute of Housing London board member

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