A new index for assessing the contribution of energy efficiency in LEED 2009 certified green buildings to achieving UN sustainable development goals in Jordan

Abstract

Water and energy efficiency are given high priority in all green building assessment systems. However, a method to assess and improve their contributions to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has not been developed. This research aims to fill this gap. At the time of this research, most certified green buildings in Jordan were under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v2.2 new construction. The relationships between the LEED v2.2 "water efficiency" (WE) and "energy and atmosphere" (EA) standards and the UN SDGs were explored using a quantitative descriptive methodology. Structured questionnaire surveys yielded 55 responses from Jordanian building industry experts. Pearson's Chi-square and frequency tests were carried out to examine these relationships. We propose a new Comprehensive Contribution to Development Index (CCDI) to assess the contributions of the implementation of LEED v2.2 WE and EA to achieve the UN SDGs. The results show a positive relationship between LEED v2.2 prerequisites and credits in both WE and EA categories with the UN SDGs 6-9, 12-13, and 15, suggesting that the proposed CCDI is a reliable and robust tool for the evaluation of the contribution of water and energy efficiency in LEED v2.2-certified green buildings to achieving the UN SDGs in Jordan.

Energy Scenarios towards Achieving SDG7 and the Interlinkages with Other Sustainable Development Goals: A Systematic Review

“…We found out of (n = 25) studies (n= 2) articles are related to energy efficiency scenario. In Jordan, proposing a new (CCSDI) tool for assessing the energy efficiency' contributions in LEED 2009 certification to green buildings to achieve United Nation-SDGs [1,21].…”

“…-A method to determine the contributions of energy efficiency and water for achieving the UN-SDGs has not been developed. [21] Recommendations Reference -The stakeholders such as designers, developers, and governments should be enlightened with the benefits of investing in energy efficiency in green buildings to achieve UN-Sustainable Development Goals [1] -The different decisions according to constraints of the water and energy need to be formulated and organized within an integrated response.…”

“…For 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs),the United Nations in 2015 endorsed the 2030 global agenda to cover multiple challenges including ending the poverty and hunger, eliminating inequality, overcome the climate change, access to clean energy, equality in gender, better education quality, clean water and sanitation [1][2][3]. One of the UN-SD goals are accessing "sustainable, affordable, modern, and reliable energy for every single one in this world" SDG 7, which has a lot of synergies and is in line with the rest of Sustainable Development Goals [4,5].…”

“…Moreover, in the industry and energy production, the aim of the renewable resource from land and sea such as bio-economy strategy is to substitute the fossil carbon with biomass to preserve the ecosystem, strength the relationship between economy, society and the environment [11]. Thirdly, an improved energy efficiency such as assessing the energy efficiency in the GB for achieving sustainable development goals target by adopting and implementing "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design" (LEED) for mitigating the climate change and energy crisis [1,2]. Thus, Energy is a vital key factor for achieving goal 7 and for targeting other SDGs.…”

Research on the Literature of Green Building Based on the Web of Science: A Scientometric Analysis in CiteSpace (2002–2018)

“…Owing to different conditions in every country such as economic development level, geographical location, and per capita resources, the concept of green building has not reached a consensus yet in the international community. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) defines green building as environmentally responsible and resource-efficient building throughout its life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, and deconstruction [7]. Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) considers that the creation and management of a healthy building environment should be based on the principles of high-efficient resource utilization and ecological benefits [8].…”