DEENBANDHU CHHOTU RAM UNIVERSITY OF

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

MURTHAL, SONIPAT

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE

ASSIGNMENT 3 : sustainable architecture-IX

Submitted to: SUBMITTED BY:

AR. SMRITI MA’AM GUNJAN BAREJA
17001006024

SEC-A, SEM-9
Que1. Write shorts on following
a) Brundtland Report
b) Agenda 21
c) Kyoto protocol
Ans: a) Brundtland Report
focused primarily on the needs and interests of humans, and was concerned with securing a global equity
for future generations by redistributing resources towards poorer nations to encourage their economic
growth. It was the wish of the Report that all human beings should be able to achieve their basic needs.
The Report also suggested that social equity, economic growth and environmental maintenance are
simultaneously possible and that each nation is capable of achieving its full economic potential whilst at
the same time enhancing its resource base. However, it recognised that achieving this equity and
sustainable growth would require technological and social change.
The Brundtland Report highlighted the three fundamental components of sustainable development, the
environment, the economy, and society, and highlighted a number of major proposals for sustainable
development:
Environment
We should conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the ways in which we develop
and use technologies.
Social Equity
Developing nations must be allowed to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and
sanitation. If this is to be done in a sustainable manner, then there is a definite need for a sustainable level
of population.
Economic Growth
Economic growth should be revived and developing nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality to
the developed nations.

b) Agenda 21

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of
the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the
environment.

Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the
Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective
follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national,
regional and international levels. It was agreed that a five year review of Earth Summit progress would be
made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly meeting in special session.

The full implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the
Commitments to the Rio principles, were strongly reaffirmed at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2002.

c) Kyoto protocol
the Kyoto Protocol operationalizes the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change by committing
industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and
reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance with
agreed individual targets. The Convention itself only asks those
countries to adopt policies and measures on mitigation and to
report periodically.
The Kyoto Protocol is based on the principles and provisions of
the Convention and follows its annex-based structure. It only
binds developed countries, and places a heavier burden on
them under the principle of “common but differentiated
responsibility and respective capabilities”, because it recognizes
that they are largely responsible for the current high levels of
GHG emissions in the atmosphere.
In its Annex B, the Kyoto Protocol sets binding emission reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries
and economies in transition and the European Union. Overall, these targets add up to an average 5 per
cent emission reduction compared to 1990 levels over the five year period 2008–2012 (the first
commitment period).
Doha Amendment

In Doha, Qatar, on 8 December 2012, the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol was adopted for a
second commitment period, starting in 2013 and lasting until 2020.
As of 28 October 2020, 147 Parties deposited their instrument of acceptance, therefore the threshold of
144 instruments of acceptance for entry into force of the Doha Amendment was achieved. The
amendment entered into force on 31 December 2020.
The amendment includes:
• New commitments for Annex I Parties to the Kyoto Protocol who agreed to take on commitments
in a second commitment period from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2020;
• A revised list of GHG to be reported on by Parties in the second commitment period; and
• Amendments to several articles of the Kyoto Protocol which specifically referenced issues
pertaining to the first commitment period and which needed to be updated for the second
commitment period.
On 21 December 2012, the amendment was circulated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations,
acting in his capacity as Depositary, to all Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in accordance with Articles 20 and
21 of the Protocol.
During the first commitment period, 37 industrialized countries and economies in transition and the
European Community committed to reduce GHG emissions to an average of five percent against 1990
levels. During the second commitment period, Parties committed to reduce GHG emissions by at least 18
percent below 1990 levels in the eight-year period from 2013 to 2020; however, the composition of Parties
in the second commitment period is different from the first.
The Kyoto mechanisms

One important element of the Kyoto Protocol was the establishment of flexible market mechanisms, which
are based on the trade of emissions permits. Under the Protocol, countries must meet their targets
primarily through national measures. However, the Protocol also offers them an additional means to meet
their targets by way of three market-based mechanisms:
• International Emissions Trading
• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
• Joint implementation (JI)

These mechanisms ideally encourage GHG abatement to start where it is most cost-effective, for example,
in the developing world. It does not matter where emissions are reduced, as long as they are removed
from the atmosphere. This has the parallel benefits of stimulating green investment in developing
countries and including the private sector in this endeavour to cut and hold steady GHG emissions at a safe
level. It also makes leap-frogging—that is, the possibility of skipping the use of older, dirtier technology for
newer, cleaner infrastructure and systems, with obvious longer-term benefits—more economical.
Monitoring emission targets
The Kyoto Protocol also established a rigorous monitoring, review and verification system, as well as
a compliance system to ensure transparency and hold Parties to account. Under the Protocol, countries'
actual emissions have to be monitored and precise records have to be kept of the trades carried out.
Registry systems track and record transactions by Parties under the mechanisms. The UN Climate Change
Secretariat, based in Bonn, Germany, keeps an international transaction log to verify that transactions are
consistent with the rules of the Protocol.
Reporting is done by Parties by submitting annual emission inventories and national reports under the
Protocol at regular intervals.
A compliance system ensures that Parties are meeting their commitments and helps them to meet their
commitments if they have problems doing so.
Adaptation
The Kyoto Protocol, like the Convention, is also designed to assist countries in adapting to the adverse
effects of climate change. It facilitates the development and deployment of technologies that can help
increase resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The Adaptation Fund was established to finance adaptation projects and programmes in developing
countries that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol. In the first commitment period, the Fund was financed
mainly with a share of proceeds from CDM project activities. In Doha, in 2012, it was decided that for the
second commitment period, international emissions trading and joint implementation would also provide
the Adaptation Fund with a 2 percent share of proceeds.

Qus.2 What are the two main rating systems. Describe with Examples?
Ans. Green rating systems for buildings measure and quantify the environmental performance of a given
building. India currently has the below green rating systems for buildings.

• Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA)

• Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)
• IGBC rating systems
These green rating systems aim to quantify the environmental, economic and socio-economic benefits of
green building design with an emphasis on sustainable site planning, optimized energy performance,
efficient materials, and construction practices, water, and waste management strategies; and indoor
environmental quality.
1] GREEN RATING FOR INTEGRATED HABITAT ASSESSMENT (GRIHA):
Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) is the national rating system of India for any
completed construction, endorsed by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of
India and TERI. It is an assessment tool to measure and rate a building’s environmental performance.
The basic features of GRIHA:
The scheme was created to assist in ‘designing and evaluating’ new buildings (structures that are still at the
starting phases). A building is evaluated based on its expected results over its full life. The stages of the life
cycle that have been identified for evaluation are:
> Pre-construction stage: Intra and inter-site problems such as access to public transport, type of soil, kind
of land, location of the property, flora, and wildlife on the ground before construction activity starts, the
natural landscape and land features.
> Building planning and construction stages: Resource conservation and resource allocation problems,
energy effectiveness, energy regeneration, and reuse, and occupant safety and wellness regulations. The
prime resources that are considered in this section are land, water, energy, air, and green cover.
> Building operation and maintenance stage: Issues relating to the operation and maintenance of building
systems and procedures, tracking and recording of energy consumption and occupant safety and well-
being, as well as problems affecting the global and local environment
GRIHA Rating Criteria:
GRIHA provides a rating of up to five stars for green buildings and dispenses points based on criteria’s met
by any builder. It comprises a set of 34 criteria, few of them are:
> Preserving the existing landscape and protecting it from degradation during the process of construction
can fetch 5 points.
> Enhancing energy efficiency of outdoor lighting and promoting usage of renewable forms of energy to
reduce the use of conventional/fossil-fuel-based energy resources can gain 3 points.
> Preventing or minimization of air pollution from construction activities is also a GRIHA point.
> Reducing volume, weight and time of construction by adopting efficient technology (such as pre-cast
systems, ready-mix concrete) can fetch 4 GRIHA points.
2] LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT DESIGN (LEED):
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating
system in the world. It was the Indian Green Business Center (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian
Industries (CII) that facilitated the LEED rating of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
At present, to strengthen the global consistency of the LEED rating system, effective June 5, 2014, GBCI
(Green Business Certification Inc.) began managing the certification process for all LEED rating systems in
India, which was previously managed by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)

LEED India encompasses rating systems for:

• Existing Buildings (EB)

• New Construction (NC)
 • Core and Shell (C&S)
• Green Homes
These represent the measurable indicators for global and local concerns in the Indian scenario. Based on
the points achieved, the building may be eligible for LEED-certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum Rating.
Many buildings in India register for a LEED Green Building Rating. Some of the major structures that
register for a LEED rating are IT Parks, Offices, Banks, Airports, Convention centers, Educational
institutions, Hotels, and Residential complexes. LEED-INDIA is, therefore, one of the chief councils to give a
green rating to a structure, whether an apartment, independent home or office.