RICS CEO to attend UN climate summit

RICS chief executive Sean Tompkins is to attend the United Nations (UN) Climate Summit in New York on 23 September where government and business leaders will discuss ways to speed up progress on a global climate change agreement.

The UN Climate Summit is a high-level meeting hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to address this complex global problem.

RICS, whose activities cover every part of the built environment sector, has a crucial role to play in influencing action on climate change. With land and property accounting for up to 70% of global wealth, its work in land, construction, real estate and infrastructure gives us it a perspective on every stage of a project’s life-cycle.

RICS CEO Sean Tompkins said: ‘I am delighted and honoured on behalf of RICS and our profession to be invited to join such an important meeting. There is no doubt that achieving a lasting and effective climate agreement requires the support and commitment of all parts of society. As a profession, we have a crucial role to play, evidenced by the fact that, today, buildings emit some 40% of all carbon emissions.’

Tompkins noted that RICS is already taking steps to support a more sustainable built environment sector. ‘We provide professional guidance to 118 000 professional members around the world, including guidance on how to consider sustainability features, such as energy efficiency or climate-friendly technologies in property valuation as well as on how to calculate embodied carbon in building.’

He added: ‘We are also currently developing a best practice toolkit for the land, construction and real estate sector jointly with the UN Global Compact and run a dedicated research programme that focusses on climate change and sustainability topics.’

RICS has participated in the United Nations Global Compact since 2010 and has addressed climate change issues through the standards and guidance it sets for its members.