Feature
GREENING THE FUTURE
Edited by Ntsako Khosa
Government and various environmental organisations have taken steps for the
earth to be more self-sufficient by encouraging ‘going green’.
G
oing net zero, is another aspect or term that takes the
concept a step further. Over the years we have seen
local and international organisations like government, the
Green Building Council of South Africa, the United Nations,
the International Finance Corporation (IFC) partnering with
developers, architects, engineers and academics to push the
green building message forward. Through the willingness of
professionals in the construction industry buildings that are
being certified as meeting environmentally friendly aspects have
popped up all over the country.
But what is going net zero and what is South Africa’s stand
on this?
Recent statistics from C40 suggest that the member cities
represent emissions to the value of 2.4 gross tonnage of CO 2 e.
Thirty-percent of all climate actions in the cities are being
delivered through city-to-city collaboration with 70% of the
cities reporting that they are already experiencing the effects of
climate change.
According to Eloshan Naicker, consultant at IFC, the Cities
have committed that all new builds are to have a Net Zero
rating by 2030. “If you’re asking if the goal is ambitious, I don’t
think so, because we are already seeing buildings that meet
the requirements (or are working towards) of being Net Zero,”
he explains. “Net Zero basically means designing something to
have zero impact on the environment. That's the overall arch
understanding of Net Zero. So, it means that whatever your
consumption is, it must equal the on-site or off-site production.
Currently, it's mainly energy focus. So, it's Net Zero energy
efficiency, meaning that the building will perform at a specific
rate consuming a certain amount of energy and through
renewables it will generate an equal or better amount of energy,”
he adds.
GOING NET ZERO
The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) believes that
the targets sets to go Net Zero can be achieved through the
coordinated efforts of business, government, and NGOs.
Alice Lane in THE C40 NETWORK
Sandton. C40 is a data-driven organisation that focused on ensuring a
global action on climate change. C40 cities is made up of 94
cities around the world that are taking bold climate action,
leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable
future. Representing approximately, 700 million citizens
and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of
the C40 cities are committed to delivering
on the most ambitious goals of the Paris
Agreement at the local level, as well as to
cleaning the air we breathe. Durban,
Johannesburg and Tshwane
are part of the C40
Cities.
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RACA Journal I March 2020
The Key principles of advancing net zero are:
• Carbon – Carbon is the ultimate metric to track, and
buildings must achieve an annual operational net zero
carbon emissions balance based on metered data.
• Energy – Prioritise energy efficiency to ensure that
buildings are performing as efficiently as possible, and not
wasting energy.
• Renewables – Supply remaining demand from renewable
energy sources, preferably on-site followed by off-site or
from offsets.
• Ecology – Overtime, progress to include embodied carbon
and other impact areas such as zero water and zero waste.
A building can apply to be rated as net Zero through the GBCSA.
This can be applied to new construction projects, fit out projects
and existing buildings in operation.
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