Embodied carbon regulation secures airtime in the House of Lords
The Government’s Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB) marks a first in the House of Lords for the presentation and debate of a substantive amendment demanding embodied carbon regulation for building projects. The proposed amendment built on the work of Part Z and earned its place for consideration at the report stage, winning support from different corners of the House in the process.
In 2022, the Government’s LURB was introduced in the House of Commons. The House of Lords has in turn debated the Bill over the course of this year, proposing and discussing numerous amendments. The Part Z authors supported Lord Ravensdale who put forward Amendment 280 at the report stage, seeking to introduce embodied carbon regulation for buildings. This followed similar debates at the second reading and the committee stage.
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The amendment called for two actions:
Within 3 months of passing the Bill, Government to consult on amending Building Regulations to include the requirement for whole life carbon assessments. The amendments will define an approved methodology and tools for calculating and reporting whole life carbon emissions in buildings, as well as a timeline for introducing measures (e.g. limit-setting) for embodied carbon emissions reduction.
Within 12 months of the consultation closing, the Government’s proposed regulation to come into force.
Amendment 280 presented a very promising prospect for embodied carbon regulation and closely aligned with the proposals contained within Part Z. This amendment was debated on the 4th of September together with amendment 191A (concerning healthy living environments), but unfortunately was not moved or voted on at the report stage. During the debate, it was positive to see the principle of embodied carbon regulation garnering further statements of support from the bill sponsors Lord Best and Baroness Hayman of Ullock, as well as Lord Lucas and Baroness Bennett. This cross-party support of the Amendment was promising, and demonstrates that the issue of embodied carbon regulation is attracting the attention of all sides of the House.
However, the Minister’s response made clear that while “Government are listening to calls for a change to the building regulations”, they will wait on the outcome of the embodied carbon research consultation being undertaken for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC). This research, currently being led by AECOM, is being undertaken to “understand the impacts of potential interventions […] before any commitment to a specific intervention”. As the research is ongoing, the amendment was ultimately dropped from the LURB.
The debate has highlighted the strong reliance placed on the outcomes of this DLUHC research to inform and shape any future regulation on embodied carbon in buildings. The Part Z team are represented on the group reviewing and commenting on AECOM’s work. The Part Z team continue to offer their support, advice and technical expertise to Government during the consultation.
