Nicholas Heap - Guest Expert on Hot Properties
"Hot Properties: how global warming could transform B.C.'s real estate sector"
Nicholas Heap, Climate and Energy Policy Analyst, David Suzuki Foundation
In the spring of 2006, the Real Estate Institute
of B.C. (REIBC) commissioned the David Suzuki Foundation to investigate the
impacts of climate change on real estate. The resulting report, “Hot
Properties: how global warming could transform B.C.'s real estate sector,” was released in November 2006. To view to the report, click here.
Climate change is set to fundamentally alter the way British
Columbia's real estate industry does business.
Consumers are becoming increasingly willing to pay for
“green” performance in general, and emission reductions in particular. There is a rapidly increasing demand for
“green buildings” and compact mixed-use developments; this low-emission urban
form, long-established within Metro Vancouver, is now becoming increasingly
popular in other B.C. urban centres.
Regulators, meanwhile, are starting to realize that the
public is now overwhelmingly supportive of mandatory measures to address global
warming, including greenhouse gas reduction targets. At the same time,
regulators are now becoming aware of their exposure to the impacts of global
warming and the costs of leaving the public vulnerable to these impacts.
Finally, the Canadian insurance industry now cites climate
change as a major reason for the trend of increasing weather-related losses,
and it is looking to reduce its financial vulnerability to the impacts of
global warming. This industry has the potential to significantly influence
patterns of land development by extending or withholding insurance coverage.
What does this mean for B.C.’s real estate
sector? Some of the likely effects include: an increase in building costs, at
least during the short term, as new standards for increased resilience and
increased requirements for energy-efficiency in buildings take effect; a shift
towards more compact, less land-intensive forms of development; and a continued
acceleration in market demand for green buildings.
Bio - Nick graduated with
a Master’s Degree in 1997 from UBC’s sustainability-focused School of Community and Regional Planning. He has seven years of
experience in local government, including five years analyzing and developing
policy for Metro Vancouver (formerly the Greater Vancouver Regional District).
While at Metro Vancouver, Nick focused on air quality, climate change and
broader sustainability issues. He headed the Pembina Institute’s Community
Eco-Solutions Program during 2003 and 2004, and led the development of energy
plans for several B.C. municipalities and First Nations. As a policy analyst
for the David Suzuki Foundation since 2005, Nick has been working to advance
progressive energy and climate change solutions within British Columbia, including effective greenhouse gas
reduction targets, sustainable transportation, increased energy efficiency, and
a shift to low-impact renewable power generation.
PLEASE RSVP to info@sustainablebuildingcentre.com.
This is a free event but a donation of $2-$5 is suggested.
LOCATION
Light House: Sustainable Building Centre is located at 1575 Johnston Street, just East of the Public Market in the heart of Granville Island. Our centre is on the second floor and accessible via the glass door and staircase on the Southwest corner of the building. This event is sponsored by Light House Sustainable Building Centre and Cascadia Green Building Council, the local chapter of the CaGBC. Funding comes from Environment Canada and the Real Estate Foundation of BC.
Guest Expert seminars are intended to provide general information about green building products and technologies. Light House Sustainable Building Centre does not endorse any of the services or products discussed by guest expert speakers.
