‘Teach in’ on energy and existing homes: restoring neighbourhoods and slowing climate change.

Homes that have already built account for 99% of our total housing stock. We estimate that 86% of the current stock will still be in use in 2050. Building new homes is carbon intensive and implies many wider environmental impacts. But the existing stock can be made more efficient, at a reasonable cost, to realise many environmental and social gains. Homes are responsible for 27% of our total CO2 emissions through their energy use, for half of public water use, and they generate large amounts of total UK waste. Large savings can be achieved using technologies that are readily available, cost effective and cheaper than many alternatives. In addition, construction waste contributes to 33% of the total UK waste stream. LSE Housing held two workshops in June 2008 to explore how to retrofit the existing stock. The workshops specifically looked at demonstrating the links between neighbourhood renewal, social cohesion and energy conservation. Participants included managers of existing homes, regeneration companies, local authorities, and housing associations as well as policy makers. The aim of the workshop was to share experience on how to make the existing stock both more attractive and more energy efficient with big gains for the environment and communities. Tackling resource efficiency in existing homes requires a comprehensive package of measures to deliver a step change. But the payback from implementing these changes will be great. This report summarises the aims of the workshops, together with the views of participants on the main barriers to retrofitting the existing stock, and key ideas on ‘where to start’.

Energy transitions and uncertainty: creating low carbon investment opportunities in the UK electricity sector

This paper examines how actors in the UK electricity sector are attempting to deliver investment in low carbon generation. Low carbon technologies, because of their relative immaturity, capital intensity and low operational costs, do not readily fit with existing electricity markets and investment templates which were designed for fossil fuel based energy. We analyse key electricity market and infrastructure policies in the UK and highlight how these are aimed at making low carbon technologies ‘investable’ by reducing uncertainty, managing investment risks and repositioning actors within the electricity socio-technical ‘regime’. We argue that our study can inform contemporary debates on the politics and governance of sustainability transitions by empirically investigating the agency of incumbent regime actors in the face of uncertainty and by offering critical insights on the role of markets and finance in shaping socio-technical change

A research study on Hong Kong's building services engineering profession: a review of the building services engineering profession in the United Kingdom

A review of the building services engineering profession in the United Kingdom is considered in this document. It provides supporting information for a comprehensive study into the profession in Hong Kong which is being conducted by Hong Kong Polytechnic University on behalf of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. The overall aim of the work is to investigate mechanisms for raising the profile of building services engineers in Hong Kong

Green jobs from a small scale perspective : case studies from Malta

Sustainable energy policy and its potential to create green jobs in Malta, as seen from the point of view of Maltese civil society, provides the basis for a critical analysis of the development of environmental policies in Malta. The discussion is based on data emanating from a qualitative type of survey conducted among the key persons involved in the main organisations representing the Maltese civil society. What emerged from this data is that there is a high level of awareness among members of Maltese civil society about the need to create more green jobs and the formulation of an effective policy of sustainable development. Respondents stressed the challenges inherent in a small island sovereign state suffering from peripherality and insularity. However while acknowledging these constraints, respondents expressed a high degree of optimism about the implementation of an effective green policy. They maintain that part of the solution lies in devising innovative practices by means of which Maltese policy makers would exploit Malta’s geographical position and harness all possible material and human resources. However to achieve such a goal the process has be consultative and participative.European Parliamentpeer-reviewe

Towards transformative learning methods for interdisciplinary postgraduate education for sustainable development (ESD) : a case study

This paper explores the relationship between education for sustainable development (ESD) and interdisciplinarity in the context of architecture and engineering higher education, presenting a case study of the University of Strathclyde Glasgow's Sustainable Engineering (SE) postgraduate programme, within the wider context of common principles and practices present across HEIs. The paper - one of a series - offers an overview of the SE programme between 2004 and 2015 (coinciding with UNDESD) and discusses its growing focus on interdisciplinarity and the introduction of transformative learning methods over the study period. The study uses a methodology of statistical analysis of enrolment and graduation trends on the SE programme alongside a discursive analysis of course and module provision specific to learning methods for ESD and interdisciplinarity. The study finds that, within the SE programme, both the courses and modules that have an SD focus exhibit the greatest longevity over the study period and are selected by students significantly more often than other courses and modules. The finding supports previous studies that report an increased appetite for such courses and classes. The learning methods employed on the modules align with those considered exemplary in the literature surrounding ESD, and demonstrate the programme's aspirations towards increased interdisciplinarity in postgraduate ESD. The paper provides insight into the practices and outcomes of a specific longstanding programme, offering opportunity for reflection, discussion and comparison with similar programmes

Reviewing Some Implications of the Green Economy for Higher and Further Education Institutions

The world is set to apply green economy as a framework for achieving sustainable development, eradicate poverty and inequality and create jobs. This reality follows the consensus on green economy by global leaders during Rio+20 in June 2012. At the centre of the green economy is the need to address negative impacts associated with one of the global challenges of our epoch, climate change. Higher education (including further education) is viewed by many as an enabling platform for the generation and acquisition of green economy knowledge and skills for the future we want. The question this paper seeks to address is: are African institutions of higher education green economy ready? This question is not only limited to the curricula, but to broader impact areas in higher education that include the institutionalisation of green economy in policy, research and research management structures, in depth understanding of the green economy concept and the manner in which it links to existing paradigms like sustainable development as well as higher education– private sector partnerships. The paper shows that there are a number of emerging initiatives that can be seen to be developing green economy education and training in higher/further education contexts, but that much more needs to be done. The paper shows a ‘slow awakening’ to the green economy call as revealed by  activities from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) and selected universities and private sector initiatives