Climate change is undeniably one of the principal threats we are faced with today, no matter where we live, work and play on this planet. The signs of climate change are clear. According to NASA, over the last 100 years, the average global temperature has increased by 1.1 degrees centigrade.
Given that buildings and the real estate construction sector together now comprise around 36% of global final energy consumption and nearly 40% of total CO2 emissions, (according to the International Energy Agency), it is inescapable that real estate must become greener in the future in order to alleviate global warming and its associated consequences.
A sizable percentage of commercial real estate space in mainland China is leased and, without a doubt, opportunities exist for leasing to become greener, especially considering the mounting attention afforded to health and wellness in high-performance buildings. For the benefits of high performance buildings to be exploited, leases must be modelled around green concepts to ensure that the relationships between landlords and tenants are aligned with the newest developments in green real estate.
