Low Carbon Housing: A ‘Green’ Wolf in Sheep's Clothing?

Abstract

Ambitious carbon reduction targets are driving a new era of carbon control reflecting the UK, the EU and international commitment to mitigating the predicted impacts of global warming and climate change. Observed as a transition away from the more holistic goals of sustainable development (While et al., 2001), the ‘low carbon’ (LC) agenda is increasingly recognised as problematic in so far as it is pro-technological and promethean, marginalising the importance of social, political, economic and wider environmental issues. With specific implications for housing and householders, the paper explores how the current preoccupation with ‘LC’ presents some potential pitfalls in relation to advancing sustainable housing.

Keywords:

• Low carbon
• sustainable development
• housing

Notes

¹ Low carbon is a term used to describe activities that are concerned with the reduction of carbon emissions (particularly carbon dioxide).

² Zero-carbon is an ambition to eliminate carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and is used to describe activities that emit little or no carbon.