R K Pachauri calls Shopping Malls “energy guzzlers”

July 9, 2014

Noted environmentalist and, Director General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) R K Pachauri termed shopping malls as “energy guzzlers” and said they are not suited to the Indian environment.
Pachauri, who is also chairperson of the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said that buildings contribute to green house gas emissions and they should be made more efficient. The largest growth of buildings is taking place in the emerging economies. Most of the buildings projected to be standing in 2030 in India are yet to be constructed.
With a view to speed up the development of high performance buildings in India and Southeast Asia, TERI and the US Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a strategic collaboration. TERI’s GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) have joined hands to promote the best of global and Indian practices to ensure efficiency of design, construction and operation of high performance buildings.
For new buildings, GRIHA projects will have the opportunity to earn LEED certification and LEED buildings will have the opportunity to get GRIHA certification.