She will chair UNEP SBCI for a period of one year during the first quarter of 2010.

"It is still not everyone aware that the building sector is responsible for 30-40 percent of CO2 emissions worldwide. The positive news, however, is that a large amount of exhaust gases can already be reduced with low costs through available technologies can, ”says Holter.

"For us at Hydro Building Systems and for Hydro as a whole, it is very important to make a contribution to conveying such messages. After all, buildings make up the largest part of the total aluminum consumption, and we in Hydro Building Systems have already created energy-saving, aluminum-based solutions for buildings that we would very much like to further develop. "

The SCBI is a UN-led global platform for leaders in green, sustainable buildings that is just waiting to give the building sector a common voice on climate change issues.

“Call to become active”

The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012. Holter says the post-Kyoto negotiations relate to the previous talks, with the goal of limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

"The point is that all nations that have agreed to reduce CO2 emissions should see the improved energy performance of existing and new buildings as a key focus," says Holter. The problem is that the economic incentives in the Kyoto package are designed to make it difficult for the building sector to benefit from it.
The UNFCCC's 2009 conference will take place in Copenhagen in December, and most likely the successor to the Kyoto Protocol will also be adopted. In advance, however, the UNEP SBCI will be present in Bonn next month, where the post-Kyoto negotiations will continue within three weeks.

"We intend to submit a paper," Call to Action, "from the global building sector to all nations, highlighting why nations should focus more on buildings to meet their carbon targets We will also make it clear that we, the players in the building sector, already have numerous solutions ready and that we are always ready to further develop and improve them, ”announced Holter.