A survey of the Australian Institute of Architects members has found the majority of architects consider climate change and emissions reduction a crucial issue in the upcoming federal election.
“This is our decisive decade when our choices will determine the fate of future societies. Australia has to act with future generations in mind,” said the Institute’s national president Tony Giannone. “Building operations and construction account for about 38 percent of global emissions. As a profession, we have a shared responsibility to be part of the solution.”
The survey of members was conducted in March to help the Institute formulate its policy platform ahead of the election. Action on climate change was overwhelmingly supported by survey respondents, with 72 percent saying it was “absolutely critical.
“Increasing the ambition of Australia’s national short-term and long-term carbon-reduction targets must be addressed as a national priority,” Giannone said.
“As custodians of Australia’s built environment, we want to see better investment in sustainable and resilient infrastructure for the long term.”
The Institute is calling for investment in climate change mitigation initiatives to be turbo charged, with additional support for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Clean Energy Finance Corporation and universities. The Institute has also previously called for $1 billion in funding to assist in the decarbonisation of the built environment and infrastructure.
A national resilience policy and stricter sustainability requirements in the National Construction Code are also measures called for in the Institute’s policy platform.
“Architects recognise we’re facing a harsher, more extreme environment with more frequent disasters. We need courageous national leadership to confront these challenges and ensure our built environment is designed properly for the future,” Giannone said.
“With government support, the Institute believes we can build a net-zero construction industry by the end of this decade.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
