As leaders from around the globe gather at the UN Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Brazil between 10–21 November, the built and natural environments will take centre stage in the upcoming deliberations and discussions.
RICS' presence in the COP Blue Zone for the third consecutive year provides the organisation with a strategic opportunity to influence policy and promote professional standards on behalf of its members.
Strategic presence and global influence
During COP30, RICS will have a limited on-ground presence while continuing to contribute meaningfully by participating in high-level sessions focused on embedding sustainability standards in the built environment.
At the Buildings and Cooling Pavilion pre-COP30 webinar Driving the ambition loop: key levers for a net-zero built environment, RICS joined global thought leaders to explore strategies for accelerating decarbonisation, focusing on harmonised carbon measurement methodologies and professional standards as enablers of measurable progress.
Moreover, RICS will participate in a session called Sustainable public procurement: global cooperation for a low carbon, resilient and circular future, which will explore how procurement can embed decarbonisation, circularity and resilience to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon built environment.
The discussion will bring together policymakers, professional institutions, investors and other industry leaders to examine how procurement can act as a catalyst for decarbonisation, climate resilience and equitable growth.
The session aims to reinforce the importance of professional expertise in shaping low-carbon procurement strategies that deliver sustainable outcomes.
Finally, RICS will co-host an event along with the Royal Institute of British Architects, the American Institute of Architects, Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano and EBP Chile that will feature Toby Perkins MP, chair of the UK's Environmental Audit Committee, who will share insights from a forthcoming report on environmental sustainability and housing growth.
RICS contributed to this report by providing oral evidence to the UK parliament's environmental sustainability and housing growth consultation.
Toby Perkins MP's participation at COP30 reflects the growing alignment between professional standards and public policy to deliver sustainable development.
RICS guidance, initiatives and tools
COP30 undoubtedly provides a significant platform for the visibility of and dialogue about sustainability in the built environment sector. However, RICS' leadership and influence in sustainability extends beyond this annual event.
- Whole life carbon assessment (WLCA) harmonisation guide: In 2024, RICS played a central role at the Buildings and Global Climate Forum in Paris, launching the Global harmonisation of whole life carbon assessments guide and advocating for global consistency in carbon emissions measurement.
- Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition: RICS also co-leads the Whole Life Cycle Policy Coalition with the UK government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Climate (GlobalABC), ensuring a meaningful connection between RICS standards and government policies.
- RICS engagement initiatives: the organisation's engagement initiatives include its participation in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Market transformation action agenda and the UK collaboratorium for research on infrastructure and cities and its provision of advisory and technical input into the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard. In addition, RICS contributes to EU regulation and the development of standards on affordable housing with adequate environmental performance.
- Promoting the adoption of sustainability standards and thought leadership in the built environment globally: Three recent examples of engagement with the European Union include the recently published RICS position on the Future of Affordable Housing in Europe, advising on the development of the EU framework for calculating the global warming potential of new buildings and contributing to the New European Bauhaus Investment Guidelines.
- Sustainability report 2025: In parallel with COP30, RICS will publish its sixth sustainability report on 11 November. The report provides a five-year retrospective on global trends and sector sentiment regarding the role and adoption of sustainability in professional practice. In doing so, the report reinforces RICS' commitment to evidence-based leadership and provides members with a benchmark for their own sustainability initiatives.
- Cooperation with Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE): RICS is cooperating with ICE to explore the complementary roles of the WLCA professional standard and PAS 2080:2023. WLCA provides a robust method for measuring carbon across the life cycle of buildings and infrastructure, while PAS 2080 embeds carbon management into governance, decision-making and collaboration. Together, these standards offer a comprehensive framework for the measurement and management of carbon emissions. By harmonising messaging around WLCA and PAS 2080, RICS and ICE aim to provide clarity regarding the integration of these standards for clients, regulators and professionals. This work also supports global initiatives such as the Buildings Breakthrough and carbon certification programmes.
- Coalition for Life Cycle Emissions Alignment and Reporting (CLEAR): RICS is also advancing global consistency in life cycle carbon emissions measurement and reporting through the upcoming launch of CLEAR. This is a multi-stakeholder initiative that brings together leading global organisations committed to aligning life cycle emissions methodologies and data practices. CLEAR will play a convening role in establishing shared harmonisation principles for emissions calculations and promoting interoperability across digital systems. The WLCA software validation programme, which recognises carbon calculation tools that align with the WLCA standard, forms part of this work by ensuring software meets robust carbon measurement standards. The Built Environment Carbon Database, a carbon data repository, will also underpin this initiative. By working together to map out and improve global harmonisation among different life cycle and emissions reporting standards, CLEAR will enable the sector to report emissions with greater transparency, interoperability and accuracy.
Improving skills
Standards alone, however, are not enough. The surveying sector also needs skilled professionals to implement them effectively. RICS' Surveying skills report, based on responses from over 2,400 professionals worldwide, found that 41% of respondents identified sustainability and decarbonisation as key skills required for the future of the sector.
Other important areas that respondents mentioned included digital and data analytics skills, especially those focused on carbon metrics. These findings reinforce the need for surveyors to work together to build capacity across the sector.
In response to the report's results, RICS announced a partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership to form an upskilling programme for members.
Moreover, RICS will soon launch a Sustainability Advisory pathway pilot. Developed in close collaboration with RICS stakeholders and members, the new pathway supports professionals providing strategic sustainability advice across the built and natural environments.
It covers climate action, nature, circularity and social value, with an emphasis on governance, risk, finance and systems thinking. The pathway is suited to those in advisory, leadership or coordination roles, guiding sustainability outcomes at project, portfolio or policy levels.
In addition, RICS' Standards and Regulation Board recently approved recommendations to strengthen the RICS CPD framework. These include the introduction of sustainability as a mandatory topic, among others, including ethics, AI and data and technology. The RICS CPD framework is being enhanced to cover the social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainability.
These activities are designed to enhance the position of RICS members as leaders in delivering low-carbon and resilient buildings.
'RICS will soon launch a Sustainability Advisory pathway pilot to support professionals providing strategic sustainability advice across the built and natural environments'
Buildings Breakthrough
Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions, so decarbonising the built environment sector is instrumental in achieving climate goals.
Coordinated by the United Nations environment programme (UNEP) and the GlobalABC, this agenda reflects a growing recognition that the built environment is central to climate action and that professionals practising in this sector are key to delivering change.
The Buildings Breakthrough initiative, launched at COP28 and now endorsed by 29 countries and the European Commission, sets to drive the ambition to make near-zero emission and resilient buildings the norm by 2030.
RICS is fully engaged in the Buildings Breakthrough agenda. It is a core member of the initiative's Priority Action B1: Standards and Certifications steering committee, which is co-led by GlobalABC and the World Green Building Council.
Through this involvement, RICS is helping shape the standards and certifications that will define and drive the decarbonisation of the built environment.
Buildings Breakthrough recently published an interim report, which establishes the agreed definition and principles for near-zero emission and resilient buildings. The report aims to help governments align their policies with its definitions and principles, thereby linking them to international standards.
The definitions and principles draw on insights from over 40 international frameworks. They prominently reference:
- RICS' WLCA standard, the ICMS 3 and the Responsible business framework
- the Built Environment Carbon Database.
RICS' sustainability standards and guidance are developed with the contributions of RICS members' time, insight and expertise.
These standards and guidance enable governments, clients and professionals to align with global climate goals and develop cost-effective decarbonisation pathways.
Their inclusion in the Buildings Breakthrough interim report is a testimony to their global relevance and impact on work practices.
This in turn emphasises the credibility, relevance and importance of the work that RICS members perform in this space.
Empowering RICS members
From advocating for improved carbon measurement methods to influencing procurement practices, RICS' participation at COP30 allows the organisation to represent the surveying profession in high-level discussions where solutions on tackling the climate crisis are debated and decisions on actions are made.
The actions agreed at COP inform government policy, impacting RICS members and the work they do globally. RICS' focus remains on supporting professionals and markets with solutions that help build a sustainable future, such as trusted professional standards and practical guidance, tools that are now being adopted across thousands of projects.
In this way, RICS is not just responding to the climate challenge, but also equipping the surveying profession to tackle it.
Simon Rawlinson MRICS is head of strategic research and insight at Arcadis UK and a member of RICS' management board
Contact Simon: Email
Frank Hovorka MRICS is technical and innovation director at FPI France and a member of RICS' management board
Contact Frank: Email
Related competences include: Sustainability
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