Ensuring climate resilience and accelerating the net zero carbon transition must be a focus for real estate, according to a survey from JLL.
The group said that the sector remained committed to sustainability, despite the pandemic.
A survey of a representative sample of UK real estate businesses, undertaken by the British Property Federation with JLL's support, revealed that for over 70% of respondents the delivery of sustainability initiatives continued to be ‘business as usual’ and in some cases activity had increased.
Furthermore, over 35% of the respondents said that they plan to accelerate activity and investment in sustainability as we emerge out of the crisis. This echoed the findings of the Climate Group survey, revealing that global commitments to climate action remain strong in the face of the pandemic, while also highlighting that governments have a bigger role to play to enable a sustainable and just recovery.
Chris Ireland, UK CEO, JLL, said: “Building resilience to future crises is more critical than ever and we must acknowledge that the climate emergency poses an even greater threat to our way of life and future. Similarly, with deep-rooted health and social inequalities heightened during the pandemic, protecting all members of society must be and heal and it will play an even more fundamental role as we recover.
“The long lockdown period necessitated by the pandemic has demonstrated how much we rely on a healthy and safe home, a supportive community, robust hospitals and efficient logistics and infrastructure as well as the physical and virtual spaces of our working lives.
“Ultimately, the ‘new normal’ must be more resilient, more connected and will need to be driven by strong leadership. Taking prompt action to deliver on these priorities will be critical to the future success of the sector, helping shape the future of real estate for a better world.
“We cannot build a path to recovery without confronting the fragilities of our current system. It is vital that we shape a sustainable and just recovery, based on collective action and a commitment to protecting each other and the future our of planet.”