Green Certification, Credit Rating, and Mainland Chinese Green Bonds in Hong Kong

This chapter discusses green certification and credit rating on Mainland Chinese green bonds in Hong Kong. These green bonds are mostly denominated in USD, distributed to global investors, and issued with international practices of green certification and credit rating. Using qualitative analysis and case study method, the chapter finds four external reviewers sharply different in their assessment framework although they attempt to assess degree of compliance of a bond issuance or a bond issuer with some international green standards. All the three global credit rating agencies claim their incorporation of green assessment into their credit rating process. However, the chapter finds no clear evidence on such claim from their credit rating comments on selected bond issuers.

RESALE OF GREEN HOUSING COMPENSATES FOR ITS PREMIUM PRICING: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF CHINA

ABSTRACT Green housing reduces resource consumption and protects the ecological environment. Sustainable buildings and construction have gained increasing attention in the last decade. Many empirical studies have confirmed that green housing imposes a price premium at the presale stage. The high price could be a concern that prevents homebuyers from purchasing green buildings. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence on whether the premium pricing could be compensated for by the resale price. To address this gap, this study establishes a hedonic regression model to estimate the price premium of green housing at the resale stage. The results show that green housing certified with the Chinese Green Building Label (CGBL) offers a 6% price premium compared with non-green housing at the resale stage. The results also show that green housing with a higher level of green certification, e.g., the 3-star CGBL, provides a greater price premium at resale. The findings indicate that home-buyers can obtain financial compensation for the high cost when purchasing a green home. Our findings also indicate that the price premium for reselling a green home is not always enough to compensate for the purchase cost in different cities. Policy recommendations for government promotion of green housing are also discussed.

Model for promoting green certification of buildings in developing nations: a case study of Nigeria

PurposeSeveral studies have shown that climate change is a threat to sustainable human living and high consumption of energy by buildings is a contributory factor. However, green practices in buildings have been proved as one of the successful technologies to mitigate global warming. Previous studies have shown lax green practices in developing countries’ buildings, but how far concerning green certification of buildings in Nigeria is yet to be explored. Therefore, this paper investigated the barriers to green certification of buildings (GCB). Also, the paper proposed a model for promoting GCB in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachEighteen experts with green building certification knowledge were engaged across three of Nigeria’s cities (Benin City, Abuja and Lagos) via scheduled WhatsApp video and teams calls. Collated interview data were analysed and presented in themes.FindingsFindings show that there is an absence of a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria. Hence, GCB is low across the states. Twelve main sub-themes emerged as the barriers to GCB in Nigeria. Also, eight key sub-themes emerged as the possible concepts that can be used to improve GCB in Nigeria and formulated into a proposed framework to promote GCB in Nigeria.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to GCB in Nigeria and only 18 participants were engaged. Thus, this paper suggests that a mixed-methods approach should be conducted in future studies with wider coverage. This may assist to validate the paper’s findings.Practical implicationsFindings from this paper will stir up practitioners in green building and influence the promotion of GCB in the sector. As part of this study’s implications, suggestions through the paper’s proposed framework will benefit Nigeria’s policymakers to make decisions towards achieving GCB. This can be achieved via the proposed framework to promote the concept across Nigeria.Originality/valueThis paper is probably the first that attempted to investigate the barriers and proffer policy solutions via a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria and by extension in other developing countries.

Proposal to amend the requirements for green certification

The paper illustrates a proposal to make green certification protection against the SARS-COV2 virus more efficient and cheaper and make it easier the access to working places. Furthermore, the paper offers critical reflections on the goal of reaching the vaccination level for herd immunity, which is ineffective if the immune status of neighboring countries is not taken into account.

The prospects of green building developing in Ukraine on example of Poland

This study is an analysis of the data and trends observed in green construction in Ukraine and Poland. Ukraine started developing green building in 2011 and Poland begin in 2008, but despite on little chronologic distance, modern situation in construction industry of these countries has dramatic differences. For today Poland is the leader of Eastern Europe green building with 845 certified objects and four new projects on average are registering every week, while less than 10 certificated green buildings present in all Ukraine. BREEAM is the most popular green certification system in Europe and share 76.8% of total green building market in Poland, but also LEED takes significant shares in education and hotel business, all HQE projects relate to housing, and DGNB appear in logistic and retail. The most perspective sustainable tendency in Poland is increasing green building projects in educational, logistic and industrial sectors. It is could be good example for Ukraine, as well as growing green certification of industrial buildings and residential real estate. Evidence is growing that green buildings bring multiple benefits and driving economic growth around the world. For Ukraine the key factors are promote sustainability in major building companies, create a favorable investment climate, and enlist government support to developing green building.

The Living Community Challenge for Environmental and Urban Sustainability

The Living Community Challenge (LCC) is a green certification program that, unlike most certification programs, is geared toward whole neighborhoods as opposed to singular buildings. Unfortunately, no existing communities have achieved Living Community Challenge certification. Still, there are many neighborhoods utilizing the ideals – known as petals – of the LCC in attempts to become more sustainable. The Living Building Challenge (LBC), the parent certification for the LCC, has seen more success than the LCC and will provide further research on the implications of its criterion. This paper will look at the hypothetical variables of the LCC, the communities trying to achieve these variables, and how elements of it could be used in relation to impoverished communities. Through case studies on groups and individuals attempting LCC and LBC certification, specifically Bend, Oregon and the BLOCK Project, the potential of the research becomes evident. This paper seeks to demonstrate how the LCC could be applied specifically in low-income areas in Gainesville, FL without achieving all the requirements of each petal.