The findings of this year’s survey reveal that the issues first identified in 2017 have become more challenging and are even more widespread. Moreover, while the capacity gap continues to grow, rates of urbanisation are on the rise and levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have reached record highs, (Figure 2), requiring increasingly more urgent action in order to avoid catastrophic climate change4. The need to develop an effective response to these inter-related challenges has become even more urgent and the built environment professions have therefore been advocating for a ‘Call to Action’ on sustainable urbanisation in the Commonwealth. In an effort to help tackle the underlying issues, CAA, CAP, CASLE and CEC are also collaborating with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) to develop a programme of engagement based on inter-disciplinary, cross sector collaboration, working together with city leaders, built environment professionals and academia.
Figure 2
200
150
100
Global greenhouse gas emissions GtCO2e / year
Emissions and expected warming based on pledges and current policies5 Dec 2019 update Warming projected by 2100
Baseline 4.1 - 4.8°C
Current policies 2.8 - 3.2°C
50
Optimistic policies 2.8°C Pledges & Targets 2.5 - 2.8°C 0 2°C consitent 1.6 - 1.7°C 1.5°C consitent 1.3 °C -50 1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
2050
2060
2070
2080
2090
2100
The Commonwealth of nations provides the perfect platform from which to engage with these issues, providing advocacy, sharing knowledge and resources, building capacity and capability, and the built environment professions represented here are fully committed to this important work6.
4
https://www.unenvironment.org/resources/emissions-gapreport-2019
5
Source: Climate Action Tracker, https://climateactiontracker.org/
6
https://wuf.unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/WUF10_final_
Mr Kalim Siddiqui President Commonwealth Association of Architects Ms Dyan Currie AM President Commonwealth Association of Planners Mr Joseph Ajanlekoko President Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy Prof Paul Jowitt CBE President Commonwealth Engineers Council
declared_actions.pdf (see page 6)
Survey of the Built Environment Professions in the Commonwealth
15