China, WGBC team to reduce carbon emissions
Graphic courtesy of USGBC
China's Green Building Council has partnered with the World Green Building Council in a move to boost international efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the building and construction sectors, the two organizations announced.
The partnership was hailed as "hugely significant" by the World GBC, as China ranks as the largest building construction market in the world, responsible for the construction of up to 2 billion square meters of building space each year. The country is expected to account for nearly half of new global construction over the coming decade.
The Chinese government is one of 90 countries to include its building sector in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the international Paris Agreement, with commitments covering energy efficiency, construction waste and low-carbon urbanization. It also aims to increase the share of new green buildings in urban areas by 50 percent by 2020.
China GBC will cooperate with other national Green Building Councils to leverage and share best practices. It also has committed to introducing a "nearly net zero" standard for its Three Star rating system in 2018 as part of the World GBC's Advancing Net Zero project.
As well as tackling greenhouse gases, the group also will focus on improving the impact of buildings on both indoor and outdoor air pollution.
Headquartered in Beijing, China GBC is operated as part of the nonprofit research organization Chinese Society of Urban Studies. Some 523 million square meters of buildings have been certified using its Three Star green building rating system, according to the organization.
Due to Chinese regulations, officially China GBC is not a registered NGO and therefore cannot become a formal member of the World GBC, although the two organizations have agreed a "close partnership enabling China GBC's participation in the global movement."
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