Now that the debate on whether climate change is really happening is over, focus is naturally turning to what can be done to contain both its pace and final magnitude. Given the increasingly accepted wisdom that through its construction, usage and demolition, commercial and residential property in combination, acts as a source and conduit through which 40 to 50 per cent of the main greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is transmitted, it is no surprise to see increasing attention being paid to how the nature and use of properties can be improved to reduce the levels of harmful emission. Previously the emphasis has been on residential stock, but there is now also a real focus on commercial property globally. The papers presented in this special edition of the Journal of Property Finance and Investment therefore represent an international snapshot of the research being conducted currently in this burgeoning field of enquiry in relation to commercial property, with a particular emphasis on the UK, Australia and USA.