Breaking the Value Deadlock: Enabling Action on Decarbonisation
Breaking the value deadlock: enabling action on decarbonisation is a companion piece to the proposed guidelines on transition risk recently published as part of the C Change programme of work. The proposed guidelines offer a next step towards a technical solution to help the industry to standardise how it assesses and discloses transition risks as part of property valuations. However, as we put forward the guidelines for consultation, we felt it was important to set out the bigger picture on how current property valuations are holding back the industry’s progress towards decarbonisation, and what could be the effect on our investment markets, as well as our cities and communities.
As an industry, decarbonising our buildings finds us working through a set of complex issues on an urgent deadline but, in the midst of this, we must not lose sight of the potential consequences of our actions. At first glance, what looks like a building issue – the transition of physical assets to a low-carbon economy – is also a societal issue. Without care and foresight, our approach to decarbonisation could lead to our investment markets polarising and an increased risk of stranding assets in parts of our cities that require more investment not less. The guidelines promote collaboration on transition risk, and this paper sets out why. Whether that is closing knowledge gaps, broadening industry education on decarbonisation or building standardised datasets and templates to explore risks and benefits, there is merit in working together.
Report Summary: Breaking the value deadlock: enabling action on decarbonisation is a companion piece to the proposed guidelines on transition risk recently published as part of the C Change programme of work. The proposed guidelines offer a next step towards a technical solution to help the industry to standardise how it assesses and discloses transition risks as part of property valuations. However, as we put forward the guidelines for consultation, we felt it was important to set out the bigger picture on how current property valuations are holding back the industry’s progress towards decarbonisation, and what could be the effect on our investment markets, as well as our cities and communities.
As an industry, decarbonising our buildings finds us working through a set of complex issues on an urgent deadline but, in the midst of this, we must not lose sight of the potential consequences of our actions. At first glance, what looks like a building issue – the transition of physical assets to a low-carbon economy – is also a societal issue. Without care and foresight, our approach to decarbonisation could lead to our investment markets polarising and an increased risk of stranding assets in parts of our cities that require more investment not less. The guidelines promote collaboration on transition risk, and this paper sets out why. Whether that is closing knowledge gaps, broadening industry education on decarbonisation or building standardised datasets and templates to explore risks and benefits, there is merit in working together.