India ranks top three countries on the LEED list, behind Canada, China

Air-conditioning units are seen on a building behind a cleaner standing on a roof in Chengdu, Sichuan province, September 19, 2007. China and the United States have agreed to a joint study tracking the Chinese industrial sector's energy consumption patterns, part of the two governments' efforts to boost energy efficiency, the China Daily reported on Monday. REUTERS/David Gray (CHINA) Also see GF2DXIABQKAA - GM1DWELXSSAA

India is among the top three countries to make it to the annual LEED list, published by US Green Building Council (USGBC), behind only Canada and China. India took the third spot with more than 752 LEED-certified projects, totaling more than 20.28 million gross square meters of space.

The LEED list recognises markets outside the US that are using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to create healthier, more sustainable spaces where citizens live, learn, work and play.

“Around the world leaders are committing to climate change initiatives that have the power to improve quality of life for citizens and ensure a sustainable future for us all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, USGBC and Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI), the global certifying body for LEED projects.

The list ranks countries and regions in terms of cumulative LEED-certified gross square meters as of December 31, 2017 and represents 6,657 certified projects, totaling more than 158 million gross square meters.

LEED is a green building programme with projects in more than 167 countries and territories and more than 205,800 gross square meters of space getting certified every day.

India is part of a growing number of nations dedicated to a greener, more sustainably-built environment. According to a Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report, to which USGBC was a contributing partner, countries indicated that economic forces were the most important drivers for green building.

The SmartMarket report also revealed that increasing consumer demand has pushed the world’s green building market to a trillion-dollar industry that has in turn led to a corresponding increase in the scope and size of the green building materials market, which is expected to reach USD 234 billion by 2019.