Green housing is the way forward Premium

Over time, builders are likely to increase offers for eco-friendly buildings. Such behavioural changes would certainly complement India’s efforts to tackle climate change

India’s national green building energy rating system — Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment or GRIHA — is a rating tool that helps people assess the performance of their building against certain nationally acceptable benchmarks. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Did you know that India was the only G20 nation compliant with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change even at its fifth anniversary? Even then, during the COP-26 United Nations summit in Glasgow last year, India further committed to reducing carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from 2021 to 2030 and the carbon intensity of its economy by more than 45%. Underlining the significance of lifestyle in climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed a one-word movement — LIFE or Lifestyle for Environment. India also called out to the world to join and take the drive forward.

India faces challenges too. Even as the world struggles to lower greenhouse gas emissions, India’s building-material-related emissions might likely double by 2060. Buildings already account for a quarter of total energy use; estimates show that with nearly half of India’s population expected to be urban within this decade, 70% of the buildings needed have yet to be constructed.

Giving that push

Adoption of India’s national green building energy rating system — Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment or GRIHA — also remains low, and builders continue to construct houses using conventional materials. That brings us to the question: How can we make construction companies adopt GRIHA ratings and build green, less polluting buildings? The answer lies in nudging them socially.

Behavioural changes can complement India’s efforts to tackle climate change. The International Energy Agency estimates that consumer choices can reduce 55% of the cumulative emissions. Therefore, citizens’ participation and behaviour changes are imperative for a net-zero pathway.

India launched GRIHA in 2007. The underlying principle for such a rating is ‘What gets measured gets managed’. GRIHA designs and evaluates the performance of buildings for aspects such as energy consumption, waste generation, renewable energy utilisation, and reduction in demand for water. It covers all three lifecycle stages — pre-construction, planning and construction, and building operation and maintenance. It has five ratings, and a higher number denotes a more environment-friendly building.

Transparent disclosures create a social nudge — an intervention that induces voluntary cooperation in social dilemma situations — and can provide impetus to adopt green residences. Mandating the builders to disclose green ratings when seeking construction approval would spread awareness about the GRIHA system.

Voluntary move

Adoption of the GRIHA system can, however, continue to be voluntary. While this does not entail any government incentive, it would influence behaviour towards adopting eco-friendly buildings. Such displays would draw public attention, create a negative list of conventional buildings, and establish healthy competition.

GRIHA ratings and green buildings can have a significant impact. Living in green buildings provides thermal and visual comfort and positively affects health. People can contribute to society’s benefit rather than trying to free-ride on each other’s efforts. Green buildings can also assist in achieving India’s committed targets. Above all, citizens would lead an environmentally conscious lifestyle, and India can aspire to motivate other nations.

Prolonged construction

Critics might point to the initial additional expenditure between green and conventional buildings as a disincentive. Given the scale, the industry might not supply goods and services for eco-friendly construction. House owners may apprehend that such constraints could increase the construction period. However, the United States-based LEED council reports that the intervention is cost-effective, as there is no significant difference in the average cost of a green building and other construction over its life, as it is low on operating expenses. Over time, people’s demand would make builders increase offers of eco-friendly houses. And a gradual rise would drive the growth of the green buildings market share without any delays.

A website can be utilised to disclose the builders’ GRIHA ratings. Prescribing it just before the approval for construction would make it timely — crucial in such interventions. It can influence their behaviour, establish a sense of competition, and spur citizens to adopt climate-friendly buildings. As a result, India can ensure growth, build houses for all, reduce emissions, and tackle climate change.

A simple yet effective step can catalyse a mass movement of green buildings. It would not only address the share of buildings’ energy use, but it would also project India as a leader of the LIFE campaign.

Check on pollution

Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler and Harvard professor Cass Sunstein, in their book Nudge: The Final Edition, share research findings on social prompts that influence individuals’ behaviour. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act in the U.S. mandated that firms and individuals report the quantities of hazardous materials stored or released into the environment. Such disclosure requirements reduced toxic releases throughout the U.S., an unanticipated consequence. They attribute a significant reason to companies not liking to appear prominently on the Toxic Release Inventory List. The bad publicity can harm such listed companies, including lower stock prices, and they have strong incentives to reduce their emissions. Thaler and Sunstein add that people seem to respond best to norms set by others in similar settings and circumstances. Many other environmental areas and countries use similar interventions, such as the Swedish municipalities’ climate index and an Italian sea resort’s cleanliness and recycling initiative.

• Even as the world struggles to lower greenhouse gas emissions, India’s building-material-related emissions might likely double by 2060.
• Adoption of India’s national green building energy rating system — Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment or GRIHA — also remains low, and builders continue to construct houses using conventional materials.
• Behavioural changes can complement India’s efforts to tackle climate change.

The writer is Mid-Career Master in Public Administration Candidate and Edward S Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA. Views expressed are personal.