ENVIRONMENT
"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable--to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
World Commission on Environment and Development, Brundtland Commission, "Our Common Future"
Environmental issues are the elements of sustainability that are most commonly addressed by society and industry today. ‘Natural resources are no longer abundant. We are depleting them at a more rapid rate than they can be replaced in nature. Man-made materials and their waste streams are polluting the Earth and compromising the survival and diversity of many plant and animal species.
We are compromising humankind as a species through harmful emissions (water impurities, air pollution), and we are compromising the Earth's ability to regenerate natural resources. We are compromising the ability to meet our own needs and those of future generation’
REGULATIONS
THE MERTON RULE
The Merton Rule is the groundbreaking planning policy, pioneered by the London Borough of Merton, which requires the use of renewable energy onsite to reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the built environment.
This site encourages shared best practice in low carbon planning.
USEFUL LINKS
For more detail information with regard to current environmental issues and trends please follow the following links:
Forum for the Future: www.forumforthefuture.org.uk
BRE: www.bre.co.uk
Renewable Energy Association: www.r-e-a.net
Intelligent Building Group: www.ibgroup.org.uk
The Assciation of Building Engineers: www.abe.org.uk
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment: www.cabe.org.uk
UK Green Building Council: www.ukgbc.org
Sustainable Development Commission: www.sd-commission.org.uk
Kyoto Protocol: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/kyoto.htm