CIC launches a carbon zero climate action plan for professional institutions

On 17 June 2021, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) published ‘Carbon Zero: the professional institutions’ climate action plan’ which was spearheaded by CIC’s Climate Change Panel, chaired by CIC’s Deputy Chairman Stephen Hodder MBE. The CIC Climate Change Panel coordinates the efforts of the professional institutes in the built environments in meeting the UK government 2050 net zero emissions targets.

This climate action plan is proposed by the professional institutions and organisations active in the construction and property industries – covering both the natural and built environments, as convened by CIC. The signatories to this action plan agree that:

The actions listed are necessary for dealing with the challenge of climate change.
They will implement those actions appropriate to them as an institution/organisation.
They will support the other signatory institutions and organisations in delivering the remaining actions.

This plan identifies 10 areas of work, which embrace all interests within CIC, and were developed in close collaboration with a diverse range of institutions, organisations and individuals.

The actions have been divided into three priority groupings: short term, medium term and longer term. As an indication, CIC recommends that these will be commenced immediately, achieved within the next two to three years and be established and consolidated within the next five years, respectively. The signatories to this plan commit to each developing and publishing an action implementation programme by October 2021, prior to COP26.

Stephen Hodder MBE said of the publication of the action plan, “The institutional action plan represents a significant shift in establishing measurable deliverables that built environment professionals are to meet in delivering net zero within the construction industry. The actions by themselves are not sufficient for the scale of the challenge, but they are essential and will take the construction sector closer to the start of its transition to becoming an effective and digitally enabled industry, able to deliver on the challenges and obligations ahead. There is no time to lose, and this unprecedented institutional alliance will bring collective skills, knowledge and influence in support of the necessary changes critical to the decarbonisation of the construction industry. The support has been overwhelming, and I would like to thank everyone who has been contributory to it.”