Europe

A number of property companies are going beyond traditional corporate responsibility to be net positive. Instead of opting for sustainability strategies that manage risk and reduce negative impacts, these companies are seeking to put back more into society, the environment and the global economy than they take out. Whilst the breadth and scope of these net positive commitments made by real estate leaders vary, there is enormous opportunity for this sector with sustainability and in supporting SDG 7 and 13.

Assuming communities in a city may formally express their aspirations for the future sustainability of their city, which technological innovations for changing the city's infrastructure and metabolism might they introduce today, as a first step towards realizing their distant aspirations? What is more, recognizing the diversity of aspirations that may never be reconciled into a consensus, might some innovations and policy interventions be nevertheless more privileged than others, in being non-foreclosing? How might we discover this?

In France the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2050. To support this, there are ambitious targets for the development of photovoltaic energy: 500 MW of new installations per year at a constant rate. Following a consultation with the stakeholders from the photovoltaic sector, a new regulatory framework for solar energy, set out in this detailed practice note, has been implemented which provides two distinct mechanisms depending on the type of installation. Solar energy is critical to SDG 7.2 to increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

Texte en français.