Legal & General Capital chief executive Kerrigan Procter has written an open letter to government asking for firm action on reducing emissions from buildings.

The letter states that the government’s commitment to meet net-zero emissions by 2050, its announcement to ‘build, build, build’ in the wake of the coronavirus and its energy efficiency retrofit voucher scheme are all welcome ambitions, but warns that “the opportunity to build back better is not lost”.

Procter goes on to outline some of the measures L&G is taking in resolving this aim, including a commitment that all homes built by the firm will be net-zero by 2030.

However, he says, this must be backed up by government action. This could include a National Retrofit Strategy that would help upgrade existing homes, “embodied” carbon targets for public space, the raising of minimum energy efficiency standards for non-domestic lettings, and providing incentives for businesses to transition to a net-zero operation through the use of renewable energy.

“As the UK looks beyond Covid-19, it is faced with a deep economic recession coupled with a longstanding housing crisis. While government may be focused on its ‘build, build, build’ agenda, it must not lose sight of how this – if not regulated appropriately – will have an irreversible impact on climate change.

“Due to the pandemic, global greenhouse gas emissions have hit a sudden plateau, and the world now has unexpected opportunity to continue to bend the curve. The UK’s net-zero target must be placed at the heart of the recovery,” concludes Procter.

The letter states that buildings make up a third of UK greenhouse gas emissions currently, with heating and hot water accounting for 20 per cent of this.