Editorial

Citation

Leal Filho, W. (2009), "Editorial", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/meq.2009.08320aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, Volume 20, Issue 1

Welcome to another issue of MEQ.

As usual, readers will find here a further set of interesting set of papers dealing with aspects of environmental quality management in different parts of the world.

In this editorial, I would like to comment on a report produced by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). It states that environmental improvements in the EU’s residential buildings sector could reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 7 per cent. Up to 95 per cent of the projected cuts could be achieved at no cost or could even generate a profit, it says.

The report is a follow-up to the commission’s 2006 EIPRO study, which found that the food and drink, transport and housing sectors account for between 70 and 80 per cent of the total environmental impact of EU consumption. The study was launched as a key element of the EU’s Integrated Product Policy (IPP).

For all building types the use phase entails the highest environmental impact, due mainly to energy demand for heating, say the authors. Reducing unwanted ventilation and improving roof and façade insulation alone could reduce lifecycle emissions from buildings by at least 20 per cent, they conclude.

The biggest improvement potential is found in single-, two-family and terraced houses, followed by multi-family apartment buildings. When applied to the sector as a whole, the emission-cutting impact of the improvement measures assessed is equal to 360Mt of CO2 per year.

Owing to the various environmental aspects of the construction industry, MEQ will be following future progresses with great interest and will be occasionally publishing some papers on this field.

Enjoy your reading!

Walter Leal Filho