In response to the mandate of the Special Session of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean (Rio de Janeiro, 2024), this Regional Cooperation Programme aims to urgently and significantly reduce methane emissions from the waste sector and advance the progressive closure of dumpsites in the region. This is a regional challenge that requires concerted action: currently, 45% of municipal waste is not adequately managed, and more than 10,000 active dumpsites release uncontrolled methane emissions, posing risks to human health and the environment. Although organic waste accounts for 50% of total waste, less than 3% is recovered. The Programme sets forth a shared vision: By 2040, Latin American and Caribbean countries will have significantly reduced methane emissions from the waste sector, prevented the disposal of organic waste in landfills, and closed dumpsites. To achieve this, the Programme promotes integrated solutions across the entire waste management chain, with a menu of interventions from prevention (upstream), to deviation and valorization (midstream) and the improvement of final disposal infrastructure (downstream). Three priority areas of intervention have been defined: 1) Strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement; 2) Enhancing institutional and operational capacities, including MRV systems; 3) Mobilizing finance for waste methane mitigation and dumpsite closure. The Programme fosters cooperation activities focused on knowledge exchange, promotion of good practices, joint initiatives, and shared access to technical assistance and financial resources. It also includes an implementation strategy to support its adoption at national and subnational levels. This document has been prepared within the framework of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean, through the Voluntary Coalition of Governments and Relevant Organizations for the Progressive Closure of Dumpsites in Latin America and the Caribbean. The development of the Programme was facilitated by the UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office, with the technical support of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).
Sustainable construction is moving from ambition to delivery, with whole life carbon, embodied carbon and life cycle cost now shaping decisions on heat, materials and compliance.
New analysis suggests waste-heat networks and large air-source heat pumps could serve 70,000 new social and affordable homes at lower cost than electric panel heating, reducing energy bills by £142m. Record UK Boiler Upgrade Scheme heat-pump vouchers point to rising market confidence in low carbon building systems and energy-efficient buildings, strengthening the case for sustainable building design, low carbon design and net zero carbon buildings as practical infrastructure rather than policy rhetoric.
Circular economy in construction is gaining operational detail through new industry guidance on door reuse, supporting sustainable material specification, resource efficiency in construction and end-of-life reuse in construction.
The shift matters because embodied carbon in materials cannot be cut through cleaner cement alone. Contractors, insurers and regulators will need workable evidence routes for reused components, environmental product declarations (EPDs), lifecycle assessment and whole life carbon assessment if circular construction strategies are to compete with disposal. The priority is a reliable market for low embodied carbon materials, green building products, renewable building materials and low carbon construction materials that can reduce the carbon footprint of construction without creating unmanageable compliance burdens.
The central constraint is execution. Cleaner heat, eco-design for buildings, eco-friendly construction and safer delivery are meeting skills shortages, reskilling demands and post-Building Safety Act compliance pressures. Environmental sustainability in construction now depends on whether procurement teams, installers and building-control bodies can translate sustainable design into dependable, inspectable and affordable systems.
Net zero whole life carbon, BREEAM and BREEAM v7 ambitions will be won through building lifecycle performance, life cycle thinking in construction and carbon footprint reduction across design, specification, construction, operation and reuse. The strongest performers will be those able to make decarbonising the built environment a repeatable construction process, not a project-by-project aspiration.
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