Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing Eoin Ó Broin has become an ambassador for Irish Green Building Council (IGBC) and World Green Building Council (World GBC) #Buildinglife programme, which will take place over the coming two years.

The #Buildinglife programme aims to promote a shift in building policy across Europe to tackle the complete environmental impact of buildings across their full life cycle. The campaign will develop a roadmap for the state and lay the groundwork for regulation on life cycle carbon.

Speaking today, Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Tackling climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing society.

“According to data from the IGBC, buildings are responsible for around 40% of energy consumption, 36% of CO2 emissions, 50% of all extracted material and 35% of the EU’s total waste generation.

“By participating in the #Buildinglife campaign and joining a network of international ambassadors, I hope to play my part in raising awareness of both the impact of buildings on the environment and what can be done to tackle emissions across the whole lifecycle of buildings.

“The #Buildinglife campaign is calling on governments and the EU Commission to commit to bold policies to tackle this issue and I believe that the Irish government must lead by example and it should invest in high-quality, low carbon public housing.”

Find out more about the programme at www.worldgbc.org/buildinglife.