ABSTRACT
After reading this chapter you should have an understanding of the overall concept of sustainable development and its most important metric, measuring CO2 emissions in the built environment. You should be able to:
■■ understand the concept of sustainability and its application to sustainable development
environment ■■ understand the climate change agenda and the importance of measuring CO2
emissions in the built environment ■■ evaluate various methods of measuring carbon in the built environment ■■ measure and quantify embodied carbon emissions in buildings ■■ review carbon incentives and low-carbon building technologies and their economic
implications
24.1 INTRODUCTION
Sustainability has come to the forefront of debate and consideration within the last 30 years, with rapid increases of global population and scarcity of resources. Development activities are becoming an increasingly important part of economic development, and with many developing countries forging ahead in development activity, applying sustainability concepts to development is vital. The UN Brundtland Report of 1987 laid the foundation for sustainable development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is development that achieves social equity, contributing to economic growth and protecting the environment.
