Is America leading the way on sustainability?

Yes

Patrick Bellew

Principal, Atelier Ten

As the country that generates the most CO2 per capita, it would be a stretch to say that America leads the way in sustainability across the board. However, our experience of the past 10 years is that they have surpassed the UK in transforming their construction industry to far more sustainable practices.

The revolution began during the Bush years in the Democratic states and cities, partly as a reaction to George Bush’s climate-change-denying position; it precipitated the US construction industry flocking to the US Green Building Council and adopting the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) system at almost exponential rates.

The universities and other institutions led the way, setting Leed Silver, then Gold, then Platinum as their minimum standard. But it has been the uptake in the corporate world that has been the most surprising, as emerging corporate social responsibility policies from global organisations have set the bar for a sustainable construction industry ever higher.

The dawn of the Obama era, with its stimulus package for the economy and emphasis on sustainability is already increasing the penetration in federal buildings. This will rapidly filter into the mainstream and continue to fundamentally change the mindset and working practices of the supply chain that feeds the industry.

In a few short years Leed has spread all over the world and is established as the pre-eminent international environmental benchmarking system. If that can be considered an indicator of how America is leading the way, then I rest my case.

No

Gary Lawrence

Global urban strategies leader, Arup

President Obama is credited with a shift in US thinking, driving a focus on sustainability lacking in the Bush era. States, local governments and organisations (such as the US Green Building Council) did advance “green building” reform, but “green building” is not the same as “sustainability”. This is an idea rooted in the integrated management of all the global systems and resources used in human endeavour.

Contrary to western wisdom, in this area, China is currently most active. Sustainability is seen there as a strategic necessity for national and economic security.

While cheap, China’s primary source of energy — coal — is also a major source of pollution, which dramatically affects soil productivity, water quality, health and worker productivity. Its energy production emissions have geopolitical consequences — mercury and other residues cross the ocean, affecting North America and beyond.

So China is making major public and private investment in alternative energy — biofuels, solar, wind — and taking the lead in the global environmental technology marketplace.

Unlike much of the US, it recognise that water is a major near-term crisis. With about 20% of the world’s population and 5% of the world’s fresh water supplies, China is driving the world’s most aggressive water reuse strategies.

China’s political recognition that sustainability is vital to long-term growth indicates that it will “win” the race towards a more ecological economy. The US, and rest of the world, still see it as a cost, not investment in long-term security.

What do you think?