United Nation Findings Highlight Ways to Decarbonize Building Sector
By Fay Harvey
NAIROBI, Kenya — An annual review of the building and construction sector’s environmental standings was released last week by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).
The report, “Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024-2025: Not just another brick in the wall,” illuminates the building and construction sector’s responsibility in lowering the global CO₂ emission rate, progress in achieving climate-related goals, successful global frameworks and areas for improvement.
According to the report, the building and construction sector is not on track to achieve net-zero carbon and climate-resilience targets by 2050, with the sector consuming 32% of global energy and contributing 34% of global CO₂. As a whole, sector emissions have risen 5% since signing the Paris Agreement in 2015, far from reaching the necessary 28% reduction mandatory by 2030 to align with the treaty. Additionally, the sector is burdened with dependency on highly carbonous materials such as steel and cement, which account for 18% of global emissions.
To combat these trends, leaders have called on the sector’s major carbon-emitting countries to make quick changes in building codes.
“The buildings where we work, shop and live account for a third of global emissions and a third of global waste,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, in a statement. “The good news is that government actions are working. But we must do more and do it faster. I encourage all countries to include plans to rapidly cut emissions from buildings and construction in their new Nationally Determined Contributions.”
Building energy codes have been effective tools in cutting down operational emissions in 85 countries, with 80 countries already enforcing mandatory codes. By adopting building codes aligned with net-zero emission goals, the sector’s energy use has declined by almost 10% and the renewable energy share has risen by almost 5%. However, more than 50% of construction is absent of such codes.
To accelerate critical decarbonization, the report challenges high-carbon-emitting countries to adopt zero-carbon building energy codes by 2028, with all other countries following suit by 2035. Other areas for improvement include enhanced waste management and reducing sector emissions through renewables, energy efficiency and financing.
The report says that retrofits and energy upgrades should be tripled by 2030 to achieve a 35% energy reduction, while major emitters must upgrade to passive designs and high-performance systems such as heat pumps to see change, with data showing a recent decline in such trends. However, the sector remains underfunded. Data from 2023 shows that only 4% of global building investments focused on green initiatives. UN leaders suggest doubling these investments by 2030, bringing the total to $522 billion, in addition to leveraging public funds and incentivizing private investment.
The report also emphasizes increasing the share of buildings’ onsite-generated renewable energy from 6% to 18% alongside raising consumed renewable energy from 17.5% to 46%. Additionally, measures such as circular construction practices, green leases and the prioritization of low-carbon materials will benefit waste management and reduce overall emissions.
“Our aim is to leverage innovation in low-carbon materials, electrification, energy efficiency, and circular construction to cut emissions and create new jobs in a just and equitable manner,” said Berthold Goeke, Germany’s director general on climate action, in the report. “We value collaboration with all international partners, recognizing that public and private investments together can transform our built environment at scale. Through shared effort, and steady progress, we will ensure the buildings sector delivers on our climate ambitions and secures a sustainable future for everyone.”