Construction is driving global biodiversity loss – it's time for Government to act 

Louise Hutchins, UKGBC's former Head of Policy, discusses how government action is crucial in tackling the nature and biodiversity crisis.

With the global biodiversity negotiations in Colombia ending in failure, our Government must now use the powers it has to turn the situation around. To stand a chance of reaching the goal of protecting 30 percent of our world for nature by 2030, governments like ours will need to start tackling the vast environmental destruction driven by construction. 

The good news is that much of the damage is unnecessary, and the alternatives would make our economy more efficient and offer the new Labour Government a new way to solve the affordable housing crisis. 

In the debates about house building, little attention is paid to the industry’s heavy reliance on extracting materials from biodiverse regions. Globally, we extract some 100 billion tonnes of raw material out of the fabric of the planet per year – equivalent to destroying two-thirds of the mass of Mount Everest every 12 months. Worldwide, the built environment sector is responsible for as much as 30 per cent of biodiversity loss. Unsustainable mining, quarrying, and logging for timber, metals, and stone are cutting swathes through pristine rainforests, polluting watercourses, and driving untold habitat loss. All while releasing vast amounts of ‘embodied’ carbon emissions. The impact on countless communities worldwide is devastating. 

The impact on UK inflation has been damaging too. The cost of imported construction materials has soared in recent years. Yet at the same time, construction and demolition waste now makes up almost two-thirds of all UK waste.   

Time is short. The Government’s targets for new homes and new infrastructure, mean the strain on nature will only escalate unless it takes urgent action to both address the amount and the way materials are extracted from other countries. 

Two solutions are on offer – tried and tested by some of the most advanced parts of the industry. But they need government action to be adopted at scale. 

Firstly, prioritise renovating and re-purposing existing buildings over demolition. Our hollowed-out high streets are dotted with vacant offices and shuttered shops. Many are places that could be transformed into affordable, high-quality, healthy ‘new’ homes. The numbers are big. In 2023, over 10,000 shops closed, office vacancy rates reached 8%, and more than 250,000 houses in England remain long-term vacant. 

Adopting a re-use first approach could help alleviate the affordable housing crisis, create tens of thousands of good skilled jobs and breathe new life into communities across the country. It would also reduce the need for costly new roads, transport, electricity, water and sewage infrastructure to service urban sprawl. 

Secondly, Environment Secretary Steve Reed is right to have put a ‘zero waste economy’ at the heart of his plans for DEFRA. Pioneering parts of the industry have already worked out how to re-use steel and many other materials, putting a ‘circular economy’ approach at the centre of their thinking. But we lack a national strategy so that every company treats used materials as valuable resources on a finite planet, not as disposable waste.  

The next step is to mandate more use of recycled, reused, and low-impact materials, while also requiring sustainable sourcing to prevent the destruction of habitats and human rights around the world. Such measures would not only reduce the need for raw material extraction, but turbocharge innovation within the industry, driving more efficient technology and practices. 

Both of these approaches can be fast-tracked if Labour takes a smart approach to its Planning and Regeneration Bill, expected in 2025. 

In Opposition, Labour voted repeatedly to align the planning system with the Climate Change Act. This was championed by green groups, because it would mean every single planning decision would help with our climate mitigation and adaptation goals. And it was backed by over 100 industry firms because it would make decisions more consistent, predictable and less likely to be bogged down with challenges. But Labour was defeated. Now it’s in government, with a huge majority, it can put pen to paper to write this into law.  

At the same time, it could adopt the proposals tabled by the House of Lords to extend that approach to the Environment Act. This would mean planning permission would only be granted if proposals were in line with local and national nature restoration strategies, including international commitments.  

As we assess the failure of COP16 in Colombia, we should all be alarmed by experts warning that humanity is on the verge of ‘shattering Earth’s natural limits’. We have run out of time for business as usual.

Voluntary measures and market-driven approaches have shown some of what’s possible, but they are just not enough. To protect biodiversity on a meaningful scale, we need a clear national plan and regulations to drive industry action. And that requires bold government leadership.

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