The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), a report published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), provides an annual snapshot of the progress of the buildings and construction sector on a global scale. The Buildings-GSR reviews the status of policies, finance, technologies, and solutions to monitor whether the sector is aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. It also provides stakeholders with evidence to persuade policymakers and the overall buildings and construction community to take action. As outlined in the 2023 edition, the buildings and construction sector contributes significantly to global climate change, accounting for about 21 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, buildings were responsible for 34 per cent global energy demand and 37 per cent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The 2022 update of the Global Buildings Climate Tracker (GBCT) paints a concerning picture: the gap between the current state and the desired decarbonisation path is significant. To align with the 2030 milestone, an annual increase of ten decarbonisation points is now required, a substantial jump from the six points anticipated per year starting in 2015. This year, the deep dive chapters are the following: Adaptation and resilient construction methods; Innovations in business cases as well as Nature-based solutions and biophilic design.
Britain’s sustainable construction agenda is shifting from aspiration to measurable delivery, with regulation, subsidy and data quality now shaping decarbonising the built environment. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has supported a 24% rise in monthly heat-pump installations, strengthening demand for energy-efficient buildings and low carbon building upgrades. Simple, generous incentives are proving effective where net zero carbon policies have often struggled to convert ambition into consumer action.
Planning reform is raising the stakes for environmental sustainability in construction. The Office for Environmental Protection has warned that proposed Environmental Development Plans may not guarantee promised biodiversity gains, underlining the need for credible evidence, green infrastructure and enforceable sustainable building practices. Nature-positive development will need robust lifecycle assessment, sustainable material specification and clear accountability if it is to support genuine sustainable urban development rather than faster consent with weaker scrutiny.
Sustainable building design, low carbon design and eco-design for buildings depend on reliable information from concept through construction and operation. The sector cannot deliver net zero carbon buildings, net zero whole life carbon or credible carbon footprint reduction while data remains locked in proprietary silos.
The next phase of green construction will be judged by evidence on embodied carbon in materials, the carbon footprint of construction, resource efficiency in construction and end-of-life reuse in construction. Low carbon construction materials, low embodied carbon materials, green building materials and environmental product declarations (EPDs) will be essential to circular economy in construction. Circular construction strategies, renewable building materials and life cycle thinking in construction are moving from best practice to commercial necessity as clients, regulators and assessment frameworks such as BREEAM and BREEAM v7 place greater weight on verified outcomes.
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