CIAT recognises that Climate Change is a serious global issue and is in support of the aims of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
As the global qualifying body in Architectural Technology, we are committed to consider, and mitigate where we can, the impact of our actions and those of our members and affiliates on Climate Change. The built environment is a significant contributor to carb0n emissions, and as such we have an obligation to prevent or reduce the impact that we have within the industry on climate change.
We believe there are overarching principles that are important in the fight against Climate Change:
Collaboration – Collaboration is essential in facilitating innovative problem solving of complex issues, avoids repetition, resources and reduces waste and reinforces key messages.
Realistic & Actionable – Providing realistic and actionable guidance to fight Climate Change is critical. Consideration should be given to how actions can be implemented in a realistic and timely manner to be effective.
Information & Education – Providing information and education to our members, their clients and the public will help them understand how they can act to reduce Climate Change. Climate Change and the construction and built environment industry's impact on it should be included in CIAT Accredited Programmes, and members and affiliates are encouraged to partake in CPD relevant to this topic.
Influence – CIAT will be influencing and promoting the need for change to Government, members, stakeholders and the wider public. In addition, it will be engaging with other influential groups and a wider range of stakeholders.
As the global Institute representing the discipline of Architectural Technology, we have the opportunity to engage with a large number of people and organisations on a worldwide scale to provide guidance, recommendations and influence, by working together with other professional institutes and built environment organisations to compound our message and amplify the impact the built environment can have on the fight against Climate Change.
Statement from the President
As Chair of the CIAT Climate Change Group, I encourage all members and affiliates to read and embrace the guidance and the accompanying supporting information on this webpage. It is imperative that we all strive towards the creation of a modern, innovative, sustainable, and greener built environment. I urge you to review and take note of the supporting guidance and augment it with your own best practices into your workstreams and workplaces wherever possible. I also invite you to share this information with your clients, colleagues, and other built environment professionals to help society as a whole, create a shared understanding of why it is so important for the built environment to respond collectively to the Climate Emergency and how this can be achieved.
Within the wider built environment, we as Architectural Technology professionals are best placed to respond to the Climate Emergency through our combined technical expertise, knowledge, and problem-solving abilities. Let's use these unique and dynamic competences to make a difference and demonstrate how we can positively impact this critical issue.
Kevin Crawford PCIAT
President