The 4th IPCC Report concludes that the earth’s temperature is rising owing to the quantity of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a by-product of human activity, principally carbon dioxide from  the combustion of carbon-based fuel.  Projections indicate that if the emission of such gases is significantly reduced, the environmental, social and economic cost of climate change will be reduced, making a case for action.  Production of the energy consumed for the construction, occupation and maintenance of buildings causes the release of a major proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions.  

The objective of this paper is to present an outline of the range of policies and strategies which are being implemented in England to reduce carbon emissions from the built environment, with view to contributing to the debate surrounding how best to proceed with construction for sustainable development.