WHOLE LIFE CARBON - THE EU POLICY OPPORTUNITY EU policymakers are recognising that measuring and reducing the WLC impact of the building sector is essential to meeting European climate objectives. Notably, the latest revision of the EPBD proposed the introduction of WLC reporting for all new buildings from 2030 and all large buildings from 2027 1 . The European Commission (Commission) also started work on its own WLC roadmap for the built environment. When released in 2023, this is expected to contain operational and embodied carbon milestones between the present day and a completely decarbonised built environment sector by 2050. The roadmap will draw on a supporting study conducted by Ramboll, Buildings Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) and KU Leuven, which when completed by March 2023, aims to have established a baseline for embodied carbon emissions of buildings across European regions. The Commission has developed the Level(s) Framework 2 , which aims to provide the European building sector with a harmonised and EU- approved methodology for assessing the environmental impact of buildings, including WLC. The Level(s) Framework is based on the European standard EN 15978 and most building labelling schemes in Europe (including those run by GBCs) align or have engaged work streams to align with Level(s). Level(s) is cited in the 2021 EPBD revision text and the EU Taxonomy 3 as a methodology to use to begin reporting on the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of buildings. The introduction of WLC reporting into the EPBD and the Commission’s WLC roadmap indicate that the EU policy framework could eventually introduce requirements for Member States to set limits for the WLC of buildings. Indeed, policy regulating the WLC impact of buildings has already been introduced in France and the Netherlands and will be introduced shortly in Denmark, Finland, and potentially in Sweden, showing that this is already a priority for countries that are front runners on climate policy. It is therefore crucial that EU policymakers take on board the following recommendations for WLC reporting and target setting that will provide clarity and facilitate a smooth transition for the building value chain in all Member States. 1 Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings, European Commission, 2021 2 Level(s): a common language for building assessment, European Commission, 2021 3 Delegated Act on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, 2022
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