Construction leaders offer support to Gordon Brown for his commitment to tackling climate change

Leaders of the built environment have submitted a letter to the prime minister Gordon Brown offering their support to the government in its commitment to tackling climate change.

The letter, coordinated by of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), recognises the government’s commitment to sustainability through the presentation of the Climate Change Bill and the pledge to make all new homes and schools zero carbon by 2016.

It also expresses their relief that the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali ended with the beginnings of an international agreement on limiting national carbon emissions.

The letter has been signed by 27 presidents and chairmen of leading built environment professional bodies including the president of the RICS David Tuffin and Sunand Prasad president of the RIBA.

Graham Watts, chief executive of CIC, said: “CIC and its member organisations are committed to helping the government deliver these targets and we are keen that these issues are given the highest priority.

“In the long-term the industry would like to see all nations set out on the path to verifiably limit global emissions by 2050.

“Our members have the responsibility for designing, constructing and managing the built environment which is responsible for half the current level of carbon emissions, so we have a huge role to play in achieving the necessary change.”

The letter has been signed by the following members of CIC:

The Rt. Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Chairman, CIC
David Orr, President, Institution of Civil Engineers,
David Tuffin, President, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Diane Marshall, President, Association of Building Engineers
George Armstrong, President, Institute of Maintenance and Building Management
Janet O’Neill, President, The Royal Town Planning Institute
John Armstrong, President, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
John Cross, Chair, National Housing Federation
Keith Gabriel, Chairman, The Ground Forum
Mark Kennett, Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists
Martin Chambers, President, Chartered Institute of Building
Martin Manning, Chairman, Steel Construction Institute
Martin Wyatt, Chairman, BRE
Meredith Whilden, President, Institute of Clerks of Works
Mike Nichols, Chairman, British Institute of Facilities Management
Mike Slinn, President, Institution of Highways and Transportation
Mike Sutton, President, Institution of Civil Engineering
Neil Harvey, President, The Survey Association,
Neil Sandberg, Chairman, Association for Consultancy and Engineering
Nigel Thorne, President, Landscape Institute
Peter Cordy, Chairman, British Institute of Facilities Management
Reg James CBE, Chairman Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering
Sarah Buck, President, Institution of Structural Engineers
Steve Evans, President, LABC
Stuart Summerhayes, President, Association for Project Safety
Sunand Prasad, President, Royal Institute of British Architects
Tom Smith, Chairman, Building Services Research and Information Association

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