building codes going green

Edinburgh, Scotland, has taken a bold step, requiring developers who build more than ten flats or houses, or developments with an area of more than 1000 square metres, to provide ten per cent of the development's power through renewable energy sources on site. Edinburgh wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.

Update: The mayor of Salt Lake City in Utah thinks that an ordinance to provide incentives for private developers to construct buildings to high-performance standards (such as LEED) would be the way to reduce a city's emissions. Salt Lake City has already required buildings using city funds to be LEED-certified.