House of Commons - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence

Memorandum submitted by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) (CIT 26)

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is the only professional body for individuals working in housing. Its primary aim is to maximise the contribution that housing professionals make to the well being of communities. Membership status is dependent on completion of a professional qualification and a track record of professional achievement.

1.2 CIH has over 19,000 individual members working for local authorities, housing associations, Government bodies, educational establishments and the private sector.

1.3 CIH welcomes this inquiry and the opportunity it provides for deeper consideration of how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint. We are aware that there are specialist agencies who are better placed to provide more technical answers to some of the questions posed. In our submission we would like to raise some general points relating to tackling climate change.

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1 Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing the international community. Urgent action is needed to cut down on man-made greenhouse gas emissions as the main contributor to global warming.

2.2 Although the responsibility for this lies with all of us, it is government who has to take on a clear leadership role in combating climate change by setting the appropriate policy framework.

2.3 We would like to see government make some categorical policy decisions, with all policies subject to climate change proofing. Although recent government announcements are a step in the right direction, we would like to see further and sustained commitment to tackling climate change.

2.4 The scale of the threat means that we have to radically change our current behaviour. Current initiatives are not sufficient to bring about the behavioural changes necessary in the face of the impending crisis, More needs to be done to ensure that environmental thinking will become firmly embedded in mainstream society. The education system has a crucial part to play in making this happen.

2.5 The CIH is committed to working with the housing profession to contribute towards lasting solutions in combating climate change, particularly where these relate to existing, new housing and communities.

3. SUBMISSION FROM THE CIH

3.1 The seriousness of climate change has now been acknowledged by the majority of the scientific community. Climate change is a real threat and will, in one way or another, affect us all. The recent "heat wave" was only a taster of things to come. Average temperatures during the peak summer months are expected to have increased dramatically by the end of the century. Climate change is no longer some kind of abstract concept, as we see its effects throughout the world. Urgent action is needed to stop the atmosphere warming up to the level predicted, by drastically cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions.

3.2 Reducing emissions needs to be a shared responsibility between government, businesses, communities and individuals. However, it is important that government takes on a clear leadership role in combating climate change. In order for individuals to change their current behavioural patterns, it is necessary that they see that government is taking the issue seriously. This means setting the framework for action, which clearly reflects the severity of the issue, and adopting a range of practical measures which address the scale and urgency of the problem.

3.3 It also means sending out unambiguous messages when it comes to climate change and environmental sustainability. Proposing a voluntary code for sustainable homes for example, does undoubtedly send out the wrong signal in face of the threat climate change poses.

3.4 Government needs to send a clear signal that climate change is not a party political issue. It is important to build a broad consensus which includes all the major parties as well as the devolved administrations. This might take the form of a joint statement from the three party leaders and those in the devolved administrations on climate change, together with a clear explanation of what might happen if no action is taken.

3.5 Compliance with and enforcement of regulations intended to combat climate change is another area where government can show its commitment to the issue. A recent study by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes[31] amongst Building Control Officers on the compliance with Part L1 of the 2002 Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power) revealed that on the whole officers will not enforce or refuse completion certificates or prosecute on a Part L issue. Part L was given low priority as it was seen as being not "life threatening". This practice has to change. Given that housing accounts for around 27% of all CO2 emissions in the UK, energy efficiency requirements need to be enforced rigorously. The fact that since the introduction of energy conservation legislation 21 years ago, not a single builder has been prosecuted for non-compliance[32] is a reminder that environmental awareness has yet to become mainstream.

3.6 It is time for government to make some categorical policy decisions, with all policies subject to climate change proofing in order to indicate its seriousness. Climate change would then become a key test for every government policy, in the same way as compliance with (say) race relations requirements or the government's efficiency agenda permeates the whole of government policy. It should be impossible for government to publish (for example) a housing development programme, roads programme or airports expansion proposals without including a rigorous assessment of their impact on global warming.

3.7 Although we welcome recent announcements by Ruth Kelly to explore the scope to make the Thames Gateway a low carbon development and to move towards carbon neutrality, we strongly support the Green Alliance[33] call for a carbon neutral Thames Gateway. Anything less will be a missed opportunity. The technology to build carbon neutral housing is readily available. Housing built using Passivhaus[34] or Super E[35] methods for example does not require any heating or cooling system.

3.8 We would also like to see a greater emphasis on the environmental performance of Britain's existing housing stock. This is of particular importance as construction accounts for only 2% of the housing stock in the UK. A staggering 3.7 million homes in the private sector fail the Decent Homes Standard on thermal comfort alone, while a total of five million fail on range of criteria. These homes are insufficiently insulated and often cost owners or tenants a great deal to heat. Although the Decent Homes programme is due to be completed in 2010, a longer view should be taken of getting all homes in the UK up to a good energy efficient standard. The CIH would like to see the eco-homes standard rolled out beyond new public sector housing and applied to all UK homes by 2050. More attention also needs to be given to vulnerable households in existing private sector housing, those who can least afford to go "green" but who suffer most from high fuel costs in cold and damp houses. We therefore eagerly await the results of DCLG's current review of the sustainability of existing buildings and how government will be moving forward on this important issue.

3.9 Serious considerations should also be given to introducing a taxation policy on carbon-intensive activities, such as the ecological tax adopted in Germany. As fossil energy becomes more expensive it is envisaged that businesses and individuals will start to invest in energy efficiency measures and cut down on their energy use. Revenue raised through the tax helps to lower employers' pension and national insurance contributions. According to a leading German think-tank it is expected that in this way up to 250,000 new jobs will be created. Some of the revenue is also used to fund renewable energy grant programmes.

3.10 A further area where more vigorous action could be taken, both by government and by citizens, is in the protection of the remaining forested areas of the world which act as carbon sinks and as crucial regulators of climate change. Only 12% of the world's forests are in protected areas, and the remainder could be destroyed by unsustainable felling of timber or clearance for farming before the end of this century, on present trends. Action can be taken by consumers and by government to ensure that timber comes from properly managed forests (certified by the Forest Stewardship Council) and that food products (such as Soya from Brazil) are not harvested on land illegally cleared of forest. Already several UK firms (such as B&Q) have responded to customer concerns by using certified timber. Ways could be explored of ensuring that, by a target date, all timber used in furniture or construction or paper manufacture comes from certified sources. If a target date were set, this would give enough time for producers to adapt their supply sources and for the Forest Stewardship Council to respond to demand for more certified forests. Government could pressurise the major supermarkets to take action (as some have started to do) on food sources which come from cleared forest land.

3.11 Fairly simple, and fairly modest, measures that government could also adopt to help combat global warming include the following:

— Requirement for all lighting to be energy efficient.

— Taxing the use of plastic bags, as done in Ireland.

— Imposing energy efficiency requirements on manufacturers of domestic equipment, including energy use when on stand-by.

— Encouraging the use of more congestion charging schemes.

— Requirement for local authorities to extend their existing recycling schemes to include plastics and Tetra Pak.

— Imposing requirements on manufacturers to cut down on packaging.

— Introduction of a deposit scheme for all bottled and canned drinks.

3.12 The seriousness of climate change means that we have to radically change our current behaviour. To achieve this, environmental thinking needs to be firmly embedded in society. Environmental sustainability should not be seen as a tag-on but rather as a guide to all decision-making. The education system has to play a major part in bringing about the cultural shift needed to make this happen. The national curriculum needs to reflect the importance of environmental sustainability in our global society. As the threats linked to climate change will only increase over the coming decades, it is vital to equip our children with the knowledge and tools to deal with this impending crisis. The earlier we engage with young people about these issues, the more likely that they will become second nature and lead to a change not only in individual but in collective behaviour.

3.13 Making "green" choices is also still very costly. Especially for those on low incomes, more environmentally-friendly products are simply out of reach. The green agenda has generally attracted the middle classes. Those living in disadvantaged areas have largely been left behind by the environmental movement. Research amongst disadvantaged groups has shown that the quality of the local environment and the associated impacts on health and well-being are of most concern. [36]Local environmental issues can act as a catalyst for raising environmental awareness. The local environment becomes the place where the principle think globally, act locally can be put into practice. A study, examining local sustainable development projects in deprived neighbourhoods supports this argument. [37]It concluded that apart from socio-economic benefits, projects of this kind are an important vehicle to engage individuals and communities in environmental action, who would otherwise not have been interested in these issues.

3.14 Current initiatives such as the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) are not sufficient to alter behaviour in favour of more environmentally-friendly actions. In the recent energy review, the government admitted, [38]that the EEC itself does not address consumer behaviour, ie making people think about the amount of energy they use or how to save energy. The current rate of vehicle excise duty for cars with greater emissions for example is not nearly high enough to deter someone from purchasing such a car. We therefore would like the committee to consider how those policies could be improved to address the issue of consumer behaviour.

3.15 For its part, the Chartered Institute of Housing, as the professional body, has expressed its own commitment to the seriousness of climate change by signing the Green Alliance "agenda" already mentioned and by publishing a range of good practice material aimed at housing professionals and their work with tenants and the wider public. We remain committed to treating climate change very seriously and to help to inform and equip our members to tackle these issues.

Chartered Institute of Housing

September 2006