NAIROBI – 22 November 2023 – The Environmental Rule of Law: Tracking Progress and Charting Future Directions report provides a comprehensive assessment of developments since the release of the First Global Report on Environmental Rule of Law in 2019. Through collecting and analysing data from a survey of 193 UN Member States regarding their laws, institutions, civic engagement, rights and justice, the report highlights the most prevalent aspects of environmental rule of law across countries and tracks progress in addressing the triple planetary crisis. Six cross-cutting findings are highlighted: the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on environmental rule of law, both positive and negative; the recognition and integration of environmental rights has accelerated; there is growing attention to specialised environmental enforcement, particularly in the development and capacity building of institutions; women are champions of environmental rule of law; environmental rule of law is undergoing a technological revolution; and climate change continues to be both a dominant context for environmental rule of law efforts and a driver of actions to advance it. Further, the report makes four recommendations: standardize and track environmental rule of law indicators; develop guidance on environmental rule of law in emergencies and disasters; integrate social justice in environmental institutions; and establish a technology-policy interface. This report seeks to fulfil the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP’s) mandate to promote and advance environmental rule of law pursuant to UNEP’s 2013 Governing Council Decision 27/9, the 2019 United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 4/20 which adopted the Fifth Montevideo Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law, as well as the Political Declaration of the special session of the UNEA to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of UNEP.
The global transition to sustainable construction is moving from intent to enforcement as climate volatility reshapes design priorities and procurement. Building codes are being recalibrated to embed passive cooling, thermal safety and flood tolerance as core parameters of sustainable building design, with whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment becoming decisive factors in specification. The carbon footprint of construction and embodied carbon in materials are now direct cost and compliance risks. Developers and contractors are aligning with low carbon design methodologies and eco-design for buildings that consider life cycle cost and environmental sustainability in construction from concept to end-of-life reuse in construction.
Structural resilience is being tested by extreme weather. England’s improved heat preparedness demonstrates that targeted adaptation can significantly reduce risk, while climate-induced losses across South Asia and the Pacific underscore the financial and social consequences of inaction. The future viability of low carbon building strategies depends on integrating green construction principles and renewable building materials within circular economy in construction frameworks that maintain resource efficiency in construction and measurable carbon footprint reduction.
Policy and market conditions are evolving. Colombia’s withdrawal from investor–state dispute provisions highlights a reassertion of regulatory sovereignty that could accelerate the adoption of sustainable building practices and environmental product declarations (EPDs) but raise initial risk premiums for international investors. The outcome could reinforce sustainable material specification and advance carbon neutral construction standards across emerging markets.
Clean energy systems are expanding rapidly, exemplified by Uruguay’s near-total reliance on renewables. This shift strengthens the economic case for net zero carbon buildings and electrified plant, proving that energy-efficient buildings powered by renewable sources can deliver genuine operational decarbonising of the built environment. Projects using green building materials, breeam or breeam v7 certification, and circular construction strategies are demonstrating that net zero whole life carbon is operationally achievable when design integrates low embodied carbon materials and life cycle thinking in construction.
Social value has become a measurable component of sustainable urban development as contractors embed community outcomes within delivery models. The convergence of carbon and political risk is placing sustainable architecture, eco-friendly construction and green building products at the centre of investment decisions. The industry is transitioning from theoretical sustainability to practical implementation where resilience, circular economy alignment and whole life carbon performance define competitiveness in the global construction sector.
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