Strategy: 24 Things you can do right now to tackle #climateemergency

Are you keen to take action, change the way you practice, and start transitioning towards a carbon-positive economy? Here’s a list of actions and initiatives I put together ahead of the Architects Declare Forum, held last night in Perth. 

1.   Sign up to Architects Declare if you haven’t already, at https://au.architectsdeclare.com

2.   Join the WA Linked In Group for updates at www.linkedin.com/groups/13792342

3.   Come to the next AD_WA meeting on Monday 9 December at Woods Bagot. Time and agenda will be emailed shortly.

4.   Make a submission to the WA government calling for three key changes:

a)   a “Zero Carbon Act” for WA, as prepared by Dr Hugh Finn at Curtin Law School. The proposed Act includes discussions around a long-term emissions reduction target (net zero GHG emissions by 2050) and a budget process based on interim short-term emissions reduction targets.  
“The WA Government has now adopted an aspiration of net zero by 2050 – what remains is for that long-term emissions reduction target to be entrenched in legislation and coupled with a rigorous emissions budget process based on interim targets.”

b)   a renewable energy target, because WA is the only Australian state that hasn’t yet adopted one, so urge government to aim for a target like South Australia’s, which aims for 100% renewable energy by 2030.

c)  upgrades to Design WA and Precinct plansthese policies for the delivery of new multi-res housing and infill don’t yet include provisions for emissions reduction. The buildings sector (including both residential and commercial buildings) contributes only 2% of direct CO2 emissions, but these have increased by 62% since 2005, rising until 2016 and declining slightly in 2017 (source: https://climateanalytics.org/media/report-carbonbudgetforwa-climateanalytics-2019-web.pdf). Mention these facts in your submission and request the inclusion of new targets and goals for building design, construction and operational phases. 

Submissions close this Friday 29 November, and can be made at https://consult.dwer.wa.gov.au/climatechange/issues-paper/

5. Single family homes and urban sprawl: most new housing in WA is currently delivered by project home builders, and CSIRO research indicates some new dwellings don’t meet the minimum 6-stars NatHERS standard (see: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-16/the-hidden-costs-of-mcmansions/10981336). Should Architects Declare signatories advocate home builders to achieve improved outcomes, especially in the light of the COAG announcements last week (see number 6)

6. COAG adopted an addendum to the Trajectory for Low Energy Buildings last Friday, 22 November. New initiatives include

o  Developing information, training and energy rating tools for households and businesses to enable greater understanding of energy efficiency options and applications.

o  Developing and expanding targeted building policies, including disclosure of energy performance, minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties, renovations and refurbishments, improving heating, ventilation and cooling, and energy productivity in government operations.

o  Identifying and developing supporting measures, including specific measures for strata titled buildings, financial initiatives, appliance standards and labelling, specific measures for vulnerable households, a national dataset and collection process for existing homes, and other targeted initiatives.

These initiatives will inform and empower consumers to make better housing choices in future. In effect, they will educate householders about energy efficiency and good design, and Architects should be ready to take advantage of this increasing  knowledge and awareness in the market.

7. Attend the Australian Institute of Architects annual conference: Leverage, happening in Perth in May 2020, co-created by Kieran Wong, Emma Williamson, Justine Clark and Maryam Gusheh. Talks are already underway about how Architects Declare might hold an event in Perth alongside the conference – perhaps a citizens assembly?

 8.  Improve your knowledge and access to updates: plans and blueprints and strategies and research already exist – but not in a centralised location. Do we need to compile and collate data and evidence to guide practice and convince clients to support innovative solutions? Read last week’s issue of my round-up newsletter The Drill – with a special section on Architects Declare here , and sign up via using the box to the right, to receive free weekly updates…

9. Start measuring and reporting: Bank of England governor Mark Carney spoke via video link in Melbourne last week, and outlined how finance and insurance companies are identifying carbon risk through stringent reporting, which also helps to track progress. 
What reporting tools will Architecture adopt or expand the use of (NaBERS, NatHERS, GreenStar etc), to benchmark current performance and demonstrate progress in the built environment sector?

10. Employ more Research – both internal POE as a method of measuring current performance and benchmarking – as per Sam Hall’s suggestion last week (https://www.instagram.com/p/B5FRl32FQEG/) ; and external evidence-based research from academia to support architectural hypotheses and solutions. 
There was a great post from Sue Wittenoom in the Facebook group, Architecture Matters by SLD on POE last week, on the value unearthed as part of a POE project in the UK.

11. Take direction and leadership from Indigenous Communities – David Suzuki said back in 2015 that indigenous people were in a better position to guide the transition than environmental campaigners… Who are the leaders we can look to in WA?

12. Consider employing Co-design on future projects with communities and users, whether they are indigenous or other under-represented groups. To me this begs the question from the #collectiveagency conference, which is ‘What are Architects prepared to give up?’

13. Make your membership of peak bodies count: ensure your representative body – the Institute, ACA, ArchiTeam or other – knows your position on the climate emergency, and adopts policies and undertakes advocacy that aligns with your values. 

14.  Tell them that RIBA declared a climate and biodiversity emergency earlier this year, and will launch the 2030 Challenge – to target net zero carbon for all new and retrofitted buildings, and to lobby the government to make this a mandatory requirement. (Thanks again to Sam Hall for this lead).

15.  Read Every Building Counts, a practical pathway for emissions reductions, from the Property Council and Green Building Council of Australia. Panellists agree that this roadmap isn’t sufficient but you should still read the executive summary and understand the parameters, and then work out what Architects Declare might aim for instead. 

16. Then read Climate Analytics: A 1.5°C compatible carbon budget for Western Australia, by Professor Bill Hare, which also provides a roadmap for the WA built environment sector, to halt emissions at 1.5°C by 2030, and to achieve zero carbon energy by 2050. 

17. Reconsider the role of Architecture Awards – does the profession need to rethink and reframe the definition of good design, in light of the climate emergency, as a way of convincing clients and the public to shift their expectations around what architects do, and what outcomes clients should aspire to? This will require further discussion and consideration of Architects Declare signatories.

18. Consider adopting a ‘Retrofit First’ approach – following the UK movement to enshrine reuse, restoration and renovation of existing buildings as the default course of action, who might lead the charge with regards to Australia’s 9 million existing homes, most of which perform poorly and are not climate emergency ready? (See number 6)

19. Investigate the tenets of Degrowth via 10 ideas from the Oslo Triennale, including:

o  source materials first, design second; 
o  use recycled materials;
o  use alternative fuel sources; 
o  use less (or no? or carbon neutral) concrete; 
share resources; 
o  generate social activity around sharing economies etc.

 20.Switch to an Architecture of repair – the accepted wisdom has been that you can justify carbon-intensive materials because they offer a long lifespan, but we don’t have space in the carbon budget for that mode of thinking any longer. Shift your practice to favour the use of lower carbon intensive materials now, to bring down emissions. These types of buildings might require more regular maintenance, or the use of renewable plant based materials, as per the article by Phineas Harper article from Dezeen 

21. Become part of a Circular economy – Ikea is one of the largest companies that has a goal to become “a circular business by 2030,” using only renewable and recycled materials. How might your practice – and the profession generally – transition to a circular economy future?

22. Get certified as a B Corpwhich are businesses that balance purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment.

 23. Take small but intentional steps inside practice: ArchiTeam has opted to stop the use of foam core awards boards due to concerns regarding the amount of boards sent straight to landfill – are there other practice based initiatives that firms can adopt?

24. Support a Citizens Assembly – Athenian democracy, as described by Prof Janette Hartz-Karp, has the potential to create meaningful change by engaging will the entire community to envision a future based on shared values. AD_WA is investigating the possibility of holding a Citizens Assembly in Perth in 2020.

PS - I put these and one more action into a downloadable pdf, which you can access here.

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