The UK government and home builders are looking at ways of building all new homes to zero-carbon performance standards with the aim to tackle climate change, in a summit organized by the Home Builders Federation (HBF). Housing and Planning Minister, Yvette Cooper, wants new properties to meet these targets within 10 years, but developers say they cannot achieve this alone. The housing summit, attended by suppliers, utility companies, regulators, local government and environmental groups, marks the most ambitious attempt by the home building industry to deliver higher environmental standards.
The initiative could be a boost for the timber industry. The number of households in the UK is forecast to increase 23% over the next 20 years. If housing supply remains at 2005 levels, there would be a shortage of 50,000 homes each year across England, according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Chancellor Gordon Brown said in his pre-Budget statement last December that it was time to set a long-term framework for curbing emissions from houses, which were about 30% of all emissions. He pledged that within 10 years, every new home would be a zero-carbon home. UK would be the first country ever to make this commitment. Communities and Local Government, Secretary, Ruth Kelly, later announced a consultation on a challenging package of proposed measures to ensure that all new homes would be carbon zero by 2016.
(ITTO's Tropical Timber Market Report)
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