The Hindu Business Line : Green buildings to tackle global warming Page 1 of 3

Ads by Google

Siemens answers:
Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Efficient energy supply - Answers
Sunday, Oct 10, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio | Blogs

z Home Investment World - Interview

z News Update Industry & Economy - Real Estate & Construction
Green buildings to tackle global warming
Investment World

z Front Page
z Columns The building sector can over the next decade deliver significant reductions in greenhouse gas
z Index emissions globally. - MR TONY ARNEL, CHAIRMAN, WORLD GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL
z Archives

Features

z Investment
World
z eWorld
z Brand Line
z Mentor
z Life
z Brand Quest
z The New
Manager
z BL Club
z Smartbuy
z Books
z Gallery

MR TONY ARNEL, CHAIRMAN, WORLD GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL

Stocks
R. Balaji
z Quotes
z SE Diary
As the overwhelming evidence of accelerating climate change builds up, governments across the
z Scoreboard
world see in the ‘built up environment' an opportunity to bring down greenhouse gas emission to
z Open-End Mutual
address the crisis, says Mr Tony Arnel, Chairman, World Green Building Council. Compared to
Fund
conventional buildings, green buildings use energy and water efficiently, generate less waste,
conserve natural resources and, in the process, provide healthy living and working spaces. But this
Foreign Exchange concept has to be adopted widely to make a significant impact. Governments should lead by examp
and authority, says Mr Arnel.
z Rates
Edited excerpts from an interview to Business Line during the Green Building Congress 2010:

Shipping What is driving the interest in sustainable buildings across the globe?

z Ports I think around the world governments are increasingly looking to those sectors which offer quick and
efficient outcomes in dealing with greenhouse gas emission reduction. Many countries are pressure
by the slowness of what is occurring in greenhouse gas abatement. When you compare the building
Archives
sector with other sectors such as transport, electricity supply, and industry, the building sector — an
there is a lot of analysis in this regard by Mckinsey and other experts — is uniquely positioned to ge
z Yesterday quick outcomes at a very low cost. So, more and more, we are seeing a focus on the building secto
z Datewise as a way of delivering in relation to greenhouse gas abatement.
z Resources
z In Focus In many developed countries there is ongoing political debate about carbon taxes, carbon pollution
reduction schemes, emission trading schemes and governments facing difficulty in carbon pricing.
So, there tends to be renewed focus, if you like, on the building sector as a way of delivering
individual country obligations.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2010/10/10/stories/2010101051370900.htm 10/14/2010
The Hindu Business Line : Green buildings to tackle global warming Page 2 of 3

How is the concept viewed in developed and developing countries?

In developed countries there has been pressure for more than a decade now about doing more with
buildings The building sector has been inefficient for a long time and it has taken the spectre of
Search climate change and the need to reduce GHG to motivate industry to deliver quality. At the end of da
a green building is simply a better quality building that focuses on energy efficiency, better indoor
quality environment, water saving, and better usage of materials — in an overall sense green equal
quality.
Group Sites
In developing countries, people are now starting to connect green buildings with jobs in the econom
z The Hindu So there is further interest what a sustainably built environment can deliver in terms of jobs for peop
z The Hindu and economic stimulus. For instance, in South Africa, a multimillion dollar investment in social
ePaper housing uses sustainable techniques such as solar photovoltaic, rainwater harvesting… these creat
z Business Line good outcomes not only for the people that live in them but also create jobs relating to renewable
z Business Line power and water recycling. These new technologies that are emerging become part of what is
ePaper becoming the building approach in developing countries which is creating a green economy.
z Sportstar
z Frontline
What are the major challenges to the progress of this green building initiative?
z The Hindu
eBooks
z The Hindu There is a lot of enthusiasm in the green building council movement for sustainable buildings. What
Images needed is to get the message to a wider audience. In a sense we now need to make sure we get
financiers and the banking fraternity involved. If you think about the food-chain of a building, it is in
the financial area where lot of key decisions are made. My wish is to get financiers and banks spea
the language of green in the next couple of years.

The big challenge over the next 2-3 years is making sure that the focus on the built environment do
not shift and delivering the potential in greenhouse gas abatement. Another is the huge issue of
dealing with upgrading efficiency of existing buildings. A key area of interest is retrofitting of existing
commercial buildings — these are the 30-40-year-old structures built at a time when HVAC and
lighting were inefficient, using lots of power and not delivering good interior environment. Policies th
governments develop should incentivise and regulate this space.

What do you think should the role of the Governments and other agencies be in pushing for
sustainable buildings?

I think governments do need to show leadership. Apart from statutory regulations, they should use
the policy instrument of communication, be an advocate of what public should do and lead by
example. There needs to be a demonstration in government buildings to show and communicate wh
sustainable buildings are important.

Also, they need to establish minimum standards.

In a regulatory sense, my view is governments should have a benchmark of minimum requirements

and people should build according to that. That then allows the private sector to push the best
practices end of the market and the minimum standards end of the market.

How are the green building councils collaborating in taking the initiative forward?

One instance is the agreement I signed with the IGBC relating to the Common Carbon Metric,
particularly the use of Clean Development Mechanism. We want to do a pilot project between
Australia and India where India actually builds the green building and the carbon offsets that are
achieved are utilised by the owner and sold into a worldwide market. This will be an example of how
the economics of a green building can be implemented in the global carbon market. The objective o
a new Indian building is to get a workable example that transcends both borders and demonstrates
an international sense exactly how the market mechanism works.

More Stories on : Interview | Real Estate & Construction | Environment

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Ads by Google

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2010/10/10/stories/2010101051370900.htm 10/14/2010
The Hindu Business Line : Green buildings to tackle global warming Page 3 of 3

The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription

Group Sites: The Hindu | The Hindu ePaper | Business Line | Business Line ePaper | Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks

Copyright © 2010, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly proh
Line

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2010/10/10/stories/2010101051370900.htm 10/14/2010