News & Info

Global Warming/Climate Change Will Halt Development

Editor's Note: The topic of Global Warming/Climate Change has been identified as the #1 issue facing the home building industry for the near future. Listed below is the official position on the subject as ratified by the Building Industry Association of Washington's (BIAW) Board of Directors.

Global Warming/Climate Change: BIAW's Position
BIAW supports a coherent national strategy on climate change that takes into consideration all the relevant scientific data (both pro and con) to the causes of climate change. BIAW further supports market based solutions, such as Washington's Built Green programs and opposes top-down, prescriptive climate change proposals that attempt to stop growth and negatively impact the cost of housing.

Background:
The most significant issue impacting housing over the next fire years will be government's actions to reduce green house gas emissions. Every day the press features articles about global warming/climate change and the dire impact it is having on the environment. All natural disasters and unusual weather conditions are now the "result" of global warming. Unfortunately, the press, government bureaucrats and now many state legislators are approaching global warming as if the scientific debate is over. It is taken as fact - humans are the source of the problem. Despite that for eons the earth has had natural heating and cooling periods (unaffected by man), the media reports global warming as gospel.

The Problem:
Environmental groups like FutureWise are using global warming as a weapon to stop growth in Washington State. This is being attempted through the Legislature and the Governor's Climate Action Team (CAT). The CAT has ignored the fact that some of the world's most respected scientists disagree about the existence and causes (s) of climate change. A 2003 survey of 503 climate scientists shows that nearly half are not convinced or don't believe that humans are causing climate change. Radial legislation pushed by the environmental community and CAT's rush to move forward with green house gas limiting proposals will have a devastating impact on housing and the overall health of the state's business climate.

BIAW'S Response:
Moving forward in the absence of a coherent national (or international) strategy on climate change simply puts our state at a competitive disadvantage. Washington businesses, especially homebuilders, already suffer from a stifling regulatory environment and one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. This added competitive disadvantage would come at a time when "affordable housing" is no longer a reality for most Washington families. More stringent land use regulations and increased market controls on homebuilding will simply add to the price tag of a home. As we have seen in the 2008 legislative session, the quest to "save the earth from climate change" is really a pursuit of additional bureaucracy and regulation. If this effort goes unchallenged, development will be brought to a halt - which is exactly what the environmentalists want.

A smart strategy would be to use the CAT process as a template for market based options. The building industry is already taking significant steps to address impacts to the environment. Look no further than Washington's Built Green(r) program as an example of how this strategy works to positively affect the economy. Build Green Washington is a market-based program that local home building associations across the state have developed in order to give consumers the option to buy a more efficient, "environmentally-friendly" home. The program ahs certified over 15,000 homes so far, and its members have won a number of National Green Building Awards. In other words, the market is making great strides in our state and new regulations would throw a wrench in the progress.

Market-based approaches are less costly and will provide greater benefits than the top-down, prescriptive approach favored by no-growth, anti-housing environmentalists.