The outcome of COP30 in Belém has left the sustainable construction sector facing policy uncertainty at a critical juncture for decarbonising the built environment. Despite broad advocacy, the conference failed to commit to a structured phase-out of fossil fuels, exposing a policy vacuum that hampers progress on whole life carbon reduction. With the carbon footprint of construction accounting for nearly 40% of global emissions, the absence of definitive regulation complicates investment in low carbon design and sustainable building practices. Developers seeking to cut embodied carbon through renewable building materials and eco-design for buildings face a lack of binding decarbonisation targets that would support the transition to net zero carbon buildings.
The minimal gains on adaptation finance and clean energy transition frameworks offer limited guidance for advancing environmental sustainability in construction. Companies focused on whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment, and life cycle cost optimisation are left to navigate a fragmented regulatory environment. The lack of reference to construction materials such as concrete and steel prevents the integration of low embodied carbon materials into mainstream policy, restraining the growth of circular economy in construction and end-of-life reuse in construction systems.
In the absence of a unified strategy, responsibility falls on national governments and the private sector to embed sustainable building design, circular construction strategies, and resource efficiency in construction at scale. Certification systems such as BREEAM and BREEAM v7 are expected to play a stronger role in demonstrating measurable carbon footprint reduction and improved building lifecycle performance. Industry leaders are likely to prioritise net zero whole life carbon and carbon neutral construction goals through sustainable material specification and environmental product declarations (EPDs) to enhance transparency and drive innovation.
Momentum now depends on the collaboration between policymakers and industry actors committed to green construction and sustainable architecture. Without multilateral leadership, decarbonising the built environment will rely on the capacity of firms and nations to adopt greener standards independently. The sector must translate life cycle thinking in construction into tangible progress to achieve a circular economy and maintain global competitiveness in the transition to low-impact, energy-efficient buildings.
