Warum wir unseren Einfluss auf den Klimawandel reduzieren sollten

Samantha Wheeler • Sep 05, 2023

Bei all den Regularien und dem Fachjargon zum Thema Klimawandel kann man leicht vergessen, warum das alles wichtig ist und was das übergeordnete Ziel ist.


Der Druck auf die Ressourcen der Erde ist enorm. Jedes Jahr verschiebt sich der Earth Overshoot Day (das jährliche Datum, das den Punkt markiert, an dem die Menschheit mehr Ressourcen verbraucht, als die Erde innerhalb eines Jahres regenerieren kann) nach vorne.


Extreme Hitzeereignisse treten immer häufiger auf, Waldbrände nehmen zu, Arten sterben aufgrund von Lebensraumverlust und Nahrungsmittelknappheit aus, unsere Meere erwärmen sich bei gleichzeitig steigendem Meeresspiegel, was zu verheerenden Überschwemmungen und erzwungener Migration führt. All dies, und trotz des Pariser Abkommens von 2015 und der darauffolgenden Versprechen der Vereinten Nationen wird die globale Erwärmung voraussichtlich immer noch 1,5 Grad überschreiten.


Kurzum, wir müssen handeln, und zwar gestern.

Warum ist dies für den Immobiliensektor von Interesse?


Die bebaute Umwelt ist für 39% der weltweiten CO2-Emissionen verantwortlich, wobei 28 % der Emissionen auf den Gebäudebetrieb (z. B. durch Beheizung und Beleuchtung) entfallen. Der Rest entfällt auf CO2-Emissionen, die mit der Herstellung von Baumaterialien wie Stahl und Beton und den Prozessen im Lebenszyklus eines Gebäudes verbunden sind: von der Errichtung bis zum Rückbau.

 

Der Sektor hat daher einen großen Beitrag zu leisten, die globalen Emissionen zu reduzieren, indem Net-Zero Carbon-Strategien umgesetzt, Materialien wiederverwendet und recycelt und (vorzugsweise) bestehende Gebäude mit nachhaltig optimiert werden.

 

Die CO2-Emissionen sind so hoch wie nie zuvor: Mit 36,8 Milliarden Tonnen CO2-Äquivalenten im Jahr 2022 liegen sie über dem Niveau vor der Pandemie (36,2 Milliarden Tonnen im Jahr 2019).



Abgesehen von der existenziellen Notwendigkeit, diese Emissionen signifikant bis zur Klimaneutralität zu reduzieren, gibt es weiteren Handlungsdruck für den Immobiliensektor:




  • Nachfrage der Nutzer: Die Nutzer von Bürogebäuden, Hotels, Einzelhandels- oder Wohngebäuden verlangen nach nachhaltigeren und effizienteren Gebäuden, um ihre eigenen Kosten und CO2-Emissionen zu senken.


  • Erwartungen von Anteilseignern, Interessengruppen und Investoren: Mit dem zunehmenden Bewusstsein für die Umweltauswirkungen von Gebäuden wächst auch die Erkenntnis, dass Gebäude mit schlechter Performance ein erhebliches Investitionsrisiko darstellen. Immer mehr Investoren berücksichtigen ESG-Aspekte bei der Entscheidung, wie sie ihr Geld anlegen.


  • Europäische und nationale Vorschriften: Wie wir in späteren Blogartikeln erörtern werden, zwingen Regelwerke wie z. B. die EU Taxonomie, Regularien in den Bereichen Energieeffizienz und Klimaschutz wie auch Berichtspflichten zum Handeln. Es wird nicht mehr lange dauern, bis aus einer moralischen Verpflichtung eine rechtliche wird.


All dies sollte Sie zum Nachdenken und Handeln anregen.


 

Welche Handlungsoptionen gibt es konkret?

 

1. Wiederverwendung bestehender Gebäudestrukturen anstelle von Neubauten:

Ob es sich nun um die Nachrüstung Ihres bestehenden Gebäudes handelt, um es energieeffizienter zu machen (mit Fokus auf der gebäudetechnischen Ausrüstung), oder um die adaptive Wiederverwendung zur Erhaltung historischer Gebäude - die Wiederverwendung bestehender Strukturen bringt erhebliche Zeit-, CO2- und Kosteneinsparungen mit sich.


2. Bauen Sie mit wiederverwendeten und recycelten Materialien:

Viele Baumaterialien wie Beton, Ziegelsteine, Holz, Pflastersteine, Glas, Metalle und andere können wiederverwendet werden. Wo ein Neubau erforderlich ist, sollte der Schwerpunkt auf der Ressourceneffizienz liegen, indem Abfälle reduziert, Materialien wiederverwendet und recycelte oder mit CO2-armen Methoden hergestellte Produkte verwendet werden.


3. Verzichten Sie auf fossile Brennstoffe:

Das mag sich wie ein großer Schritt anfühlen, aber um unsere Net-Zero Carbon-Ziele zu erreichen (und damit den Klimawandel zu verlangsamen und unsere Auswirkungen auf die natürlichen Ressourcen zu verringern), müssen wir fossile Brennstoffe durch kohlenstoffarme Energiequellen ersetzen. Der Wechsel zu sauberen Energieversorgern oder die Investition in erneuerbare Energien vor Ort kann langfristig die Kosten senken und gleichzeitig Ihren CO2-Fußabdruck verkleinern.

Rewilding Oder Delta: A sustainable hub for local rewilding

by Sam Wheeler • 19 Apr, 2024
Cover Image credits: Sophie Monsarrat | Rewilding Europe

Managing physical climate risks

by Anna Höfer • 25 Mar, 2024
While many companies are already taking comprehensive measures to minimise the effects of climate change as far as possible, it is also true that climate change is inevitable in the near and distant future. This has already become noticeable in large parts of Germany with an increase in extreme weather events such as the flood disaster in the Ahr valley in 2021, numerous hot summers in recent years, or the constant rain and flooding at the beginning of this year. Companies should therefore address the risks that could arise from climate change and the associated increase in extreme weather events, for example at their different sites, as early as possible.

GBCI Circle 2024: Meet us in Athens

by Samantha Wheeler • 26 Feb, 2024
Registration is now open for the GBCI Circle event for 2024. You can register here. EnviroSustain is proud to once again be a sponsor of this event which will be held in Athens, Greece. The event will run from the 17-19 April and the three days will be packed with a welcome reception, sustainable building tours, experiences, and learning sessions. After such a great experience last year in Barcelona , we can’t wait to travel with the team again. As we avoid air travel as part of our ESG Policy, the ES team will be travelling to Athens by land and sea over the course of two days! This involves the night train from Munich to Roma (or alternatively to Bologna), train to Bari, then the ferry overnight from Bari to Patras and to finish the bus to Athens. We look forward to sharing our journey with you on social media. GBCI Circle is designed to provide networking opportunities and education sessions for Europe's LEED consultants, property owners and managers, building experts and consultants and all of those interested in sustainability within real estate. The 2024 program focuses on the future of Healthy Human Habitat Venues include The Piraeus Tower (pursuing LEED Platinum and WELL certification), The Lighthouse (LEED Platinum), The Ellinikon (pursuing LEED, WELL and SITES), The National Gallery of Art (2 x LEED Silver certifications).

GRESB Changes 2024

by Samantha Wheeler • 15 Feb, 2024
With the start of a new year comes the beginning of a new GRESB reporting period. EnviroSustain has been supporting clients with GRESB submissions for almost a decade now and we are pleased to see participation growing. The GRESB portal will open on 1st April but now is the time to begin prepping your team and collecting data. As ESG reporting gains more momentum in the mainstream, changes are needed to keep up with current developments. The Real Estate and Infrastructure Standards Committee works to gather feedback and make recommendations on changes to the GRESB Foundation Board.

New year opportunities: ESG Trends 2024

by Anna Höfer • 28 Jan, 2024
The annual Global Risk Report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) presents a comprehensive analysis of current global challenges. In its report published in January of this year, the WEF warns of a "foreseen duo of dangerous crises", referring to the duality of climate and conflict-related challenges. Respondents from academia, business, government, the international community and civil society see climate change-related risks in particular as a key global challenge in the long term. According to the survey, the four most highly rated risks over the next 10 years are: extreme weather events, critical changes to earth systems, loss of biodiversity and the collapse of ecosystems. In addition, current crises and conflicts such as inflation, the war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Palestine make many respondents pessimistic about the coming years. If implemented consistently, ESG guidelines can help to reduce the negative impact of companies on the environment and thus mitigate climate change-related risks by creating a sustainable business environment. In 2024, numerous new EU regulations will come into force to make ESG reporting more transparent and standardised. The aim is to oblige companies to be more transparent and accountable with regard to their environmental impact.

Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD)

by Samantha Wheeler • 22 Jan, 2024
We are all increasingly aware of the pressing need for environmental sustainability and as biodiversity disclosures gain momentum , the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) serves as a blueprint for integrating nature-related disclosures into decision making and existing mandatory reporting requirements. TNFD, like the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), operates as a voluntary disclosure framework. However, we hope that some governments and regulatory bodies will begin to incorporate TNFD recommendations into mandatory reporting frameworks. For organisations, voluntary adoption of TNFD is a proactive step towards staying ahead of potential regulatory changes and investor demands. By embracing TNFD early, companies can gain a competitive advantage and demonstrate their commitment to environmental responsibility.

The Rise of Biodiversity Regulations

by Samantha Wheeler • 17 Jan, 2024
With all the good biodiversity gives us and our environment, you would hope that it is sufficiently protected and supported by legislation. Not only in Europe, but also worldwide. As part of the European Green deal approved in 2020, the Nature Restoration Law is the first of its kind to cover the entire continent in Europe. Sadly, 80% of Europe’s natural habitats are in poor condition, but the proposed Nature Restoration Law will help to turn the tide when it comes to the protection and rejuvenation of European biodiversity by two 2030 and 2050 milestones.

The Importance of Biodiversity

by Samantha Wheeler • 15 Jan, 2024
‘Biodiversity’ is known as ‘the variability among living organisms from all sources including, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; including diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems’. According to this report by the World Economic Forum, Biodiversity equals around $44 trillion in economic value (more than 50% of global GDP), making biodiversity one of Earth’s most valuable assets. Despite the massive amount of value biodiversity provides us, our global loss of biodiversity over the past 50 years has been significant, and 80% of that global biodiversity loss is caused by the built environment, agriculture, and energy/extractives. Sadly, a byproduct of advancing our own environments is that we’re destroying the Earth’s natural ones at the same time. This is because of many factors, and IPBES notes five main drivers: Habitat loss Over-exploitation of natural resources Spread of invasive species Climate change Pollution

The importance of reducing our impact on the warming world

by Samantha Wheeler • 05 Sept, 2023
Amongst all the policies and jargon out there, it’s easy to forget why it all matters and what the overarching goal is, so let’s take a moment to think about it. The pressure on Earth’s resources is becoming unbearable. Every year, Earth Overshoot Day (the annual date that marks the point when humanity uses more biological resources than the Earth can regenerate within a given year) creeps earlier and earlier. Extreme heat events are becoming more common with forest fires on the rise; species are dying due to habitat loss and food scarcity; our seas are rising and warming leading to devastating floods and enforced migration. All of this and we’re still projected to exceed 1.5 degrees of global warming, despite the 2015 Paris Agreement and subsequent UN promises. In short, we need action, and we need it yesterday.

EnviroSustain x Rewilding Europe collaboration: the first visit to the Oder Delta landscape

by Dr. Birgit Memminger-Rieve • 25 Jul, 2023
In February 2023, EnviroSustain announced a long-term partnership with Rewilding Europe. This collaboration will see a portion of the EnviroSustain turnover supporting rewilding initiatives for the next ten years, as well as pro bono advice on rewilding-related buildings in the network- such as new offices and rewilding centres. In June, Dr. Birgit Memminger-Rieve, MD at EnviroSustain, and Ingemar Hunold, Partner at EnviroSustain, met with the Rewilding Oder Delta team to provide support and advice for their newly established centre.
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