Royal Institute of British Architects, Building Research Establishment(BRE) and Institution of Civil Engineers are among several UK industry bodies calling on the government to develop a binding agreement to tackle climate change.

A total of 27 signatories from within the construction industry are demanding a meeting with the prime minister Gordon Brown, to discuss carbon reductions and other such measures.

The building industry in the UK is believed to be responsible for around half of the country’s total CO2 emissions.

The letter calls for a “binding and enforceable international agreement” on carbon trading, taxation and regulation — key issues identified in last year’s Stern Report on climate change.

Signatories include RIBA president Sunand Prasad, BRE chairman Martin Wyatt and David Orr, president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and stipulates that such a move would create a “level playing field and stable trading conditions that would direct market forces towards innovation and essential solutions”.

Source: Building Design