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Navigating the path to net zero

18 April 2025 / Diane Dickson
Issue: 8113 / Categories: Features , ESG , Environment , Commercial , Construction
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Diane Dickson examines the legal framework for green building, explaining the latest changes & their impact on practitioners & clients
  • The legal framework for green building is dynamic. Significant changes, such as the Carbon Emissions (Buildings) Bill, are on the horizon.
  • Practitioners must guide clients through complex obligations, from biodiversity net gain to whole-life carbon accounting.
  • Future-proofing strategies are essential to meet stricter standards such as the 2025 Future Homes Standard.

Green building refers to the adoption of environmentally sustainable materials, technologies and construction methods aimed at reducing carbon emissions and minimising environmental impact throughout a building’s lifecycle, including its design, construction, operation and refurbishment phases. Over the past decade, green building has evolved from an industry buzzword to a cornerstone of the UK’s climate strategy. With a legally binding commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, the construction sector plays a critical role in addressing the environmental and societal impacts of climate change.

However, achieving this vision demands more than technological advances or aesthetic shifts;

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
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