First meeting of RSUA Climate Emergency Committee

18/09/2019

The RSUA Climate Emergency Committee met for the first time on Tuesday 17 September 2019. The committee aims to help radically reduce our built environment’s contribution to climate change and to help prepare for the impacts of climate change on Northern Ireland.

As well as proposing RSUA’s role on Climate Action Day, the Committee agreed these points at its first meeting:

• Following the input of all RSUA members, a working group will develop an initial policy document on what actions should be taken in relation to our built environment to:
  • (i) Make climate change less severe, and;
  • (ii) Prepare for the impacts of climate change on Northern Ireland. These could be actions for anyone, for example government, local councils, architects etc. The Committee intends to finalise the policy document at its next meeting on 10 December 2019.
• Review RIBA’s plans for Climate Emergency Action and see what can be tailored for Northern Ireland
• RSUA to request meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) who is responsible for Climate Change policy in Northern Ireland.
• RSUA to invite the recently appointed Chair of the Northern Ireland Building Regulations Advisory Committee (NIBRAC) to meet with RSUA members to discuss necessary changes to building regulations.
• Members should be notified as soon as possible of the RSUA event programmed for 5 December 2019: Climate Crisis – Sustainable Building for Architects. (All members are encouraged to send RSUA ideas for further training.)
• RSUA should request the input of both QUB and UU into the work of the Committee at both staff and student level.