Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction

United Nations 3 years ago

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 this 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.
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layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 11 hours ago



Lower-carbon product systems are moving from sustainability claims into industrial-scale sustainable construction. Holcim’s circular roofing line in Heinsberg, Germany, will recycle production scrap into raw material for up to 12m sq metres of membrane, strengthening the case for circular economy in construction, resource efficiency in construction and end-of-life reuse in construction. Roofing, insulation and membranes are no longer peripheral to environmental sustainability in construction: their volume, replacement cycles and material intensity make them central to whole life carbon, embodied carbon and the carbon footprint of construction.

Low carbon construction materials are also gaining traction in major urban schemes. The use of ECOPact low-carbon concrete in Casablanca’s Casa Anfa development shows how green construction and low carbon building strategies are being tested beyond pilot projects. The market still needs stronger transparency on embodied carbon in materials, environmental product declarations (EPDs), lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon assessment. Without comparable data, clients cannot reliably judge whether green building products deliver genuine carbon footprint reduction, improved building lifecycle performance or credible progress towards net zero whole life carbon.

Climate resilience is becoming inseparable from sustainable building design. Forecasts of an exceptionally hot El Niño year in 2027 reinforce the need for low carbon design, eco-design for buildings and energy-efficient buildings that reduce overheating risk while limiting life cycle cost. Heat-reflecting, lower-impact insulation and other low embodied carbon materials will be increasingly important in sustainable material specification, particularly in temperate markets facing more severe summer conditions.

DNV’s projection that global net zero may not be reached until the 2090s sharpens the commercial case for net zero carbon buildings, carbon neutral construction and sustainable urban development that can withstand a hotter, more volatile climate. BREEAM, BREEAM v7 and wider sustainable building practices will face growing scrutiny as clients demand evidence of net zero carbon performance, whole life carbon assessment and circular construction strategies. The strongest businesses in decarbonising the built environment will be those able to prove circular economy outcomes, low-impact construction, renewable building materials and measurable embodied carbon reductions at scale.

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