Eco-Business

EB Studio Extreme heat is making air conditioning a necessity. For commercial offices and large-scale city campuses, the use of artificial intelligence and demand response-ready cooling systems could promise efficiency gains.

The rising cost of energy has made energy poverty a challenge – there are people who cannot afford to turn on air conditioners and need "cool places" to go to, says the city’s co-chief heat officer Krista Milne.

Cate Harris, group head of sustainability, Lendlease.

The real estate giant’s head of sustainability Cate Harris tells Eco-Business why it is in its business interest to open up about its Scope 3 emissions and advocate for suppliers who are decarbonising hard-to-abate building materials.

Asia’s sustainability heads foresee some relief from reporting burdens this year, but articulating the financial value of social, biodiversity and climate-related impacts, engaging suppliers and staying ahead of regulations will keep them busy.

By Ng Wai Mun

By Robin Hicks and Gabriel Lee

By Rhick Lars Albay

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As the world reels from the hottest year on record, the weather outlook for the future looks grim, with extreme heat set to be unavoidable unless we act now. By Hannah Della Bosca

Existing homes in Australia tend to have a poor thermal performance even in current climate conditions, yet the urgency to retrofit homes for better energy efficiency and comfort is given little political attention. By Nicola Willand

Following a revision to significantly tighten the energy efficiency requirements for a Green Mark certification scheme from November, almost 73 per cent of currently certified office buildings in Singapore could now be 'off the mark'. By David Berger

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EB Studio If a real estate development can reduce energy and water consumption – and emit fewer carbon emissions – it is built to last, Oliver Chan tells the Eco-Business podcast. The key, however, is to first educate future homeowners and businesses that going green does not mean breaking the bank.

Can the hotels sector, traditionally resource-intensive and wasteful, reinvent itself and go green? Eco-Business asks two hospitality executives about balancing post-Covid recovery, and if luxury can be made compatible with sustainability.

EB Studio The built environment's sprawling carbon footprint can be reined in by giving old buildings a 'climate makeover' as cities grow. The Eco-Business Podcast talks to Vinod Jethani about the benefits and challenges of retrofitting old buildings.

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