*English below*
📢 すべての化石燃料の段階的廃止を🚫
昨晩 #COP28 において、今回の最重要議題でもあるグローバル・ストックテイクの最終合意に向けた成果文書の新たな草案が発表されました。その中に「すべての化石燃料の段階的廃止」の文字はなく(それより弱い「削減」にとどまった)、石炭の削減の具体的な期限も入りませんでした。排出削減対策(水素・アンモニア混焼やCCSなど)された化石燃料を使用し続ける余地が残されており、世界が今必要なアクションに取り組むには不十分な内容となりました。
すでに起きている被害を最小化するために緊急に必要なクリーンエネルギーへの移行を妨げる「偽の解決策」への余地を残さず、すべての化石燃料の段階的廃止は必須です。
日本は、まさにこのような排出削減対策を推進する事により、2050年まで石炭を含む化石燃料を使用し続ける計画としています。これらは2030年までに排出量を削減することができないだけでなく、日本やアジア、そして世界で化石燃料への依存を永続させることに繋がります。
私たち、そして世界の市民社会からのメッセージは明確です:今すぐにすべての化石燃料の段階的廃止を求めます。
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📢 Phase-out ALL Fossil Fuels NOW🚫
Last night at #COP28 as it prepares for the final agreement, the new draft of the Global Stocktake texts were out - and we are extremely disappointed to see the lack of urgency and agency - WITHOUT the key "phase-out of all fossil fuels" and WITHOUT deadline for phase-out of coal, leaving more space to continue using abated fossil fuels (hydrogen/ammonia co-firing and CCS). We must phase-out ALL Fossil Fuels NOW to leave no space for such false solutions that will hinder the urgently needed transition to clean energy to minimize the damage that is already happening.
Japan plans to keep using fossil fuels until 2050, including coal, and the country emphasizes using exactly these abatement measures which will not reduce emissions by 2030 and will only perpetuate our reliance on fossil fuels - in Japan and across Asia, harming the most vulnerable people and communities.
Our message from the global civil society is clear: We MUST Phase out ALL fossil fuels NOW!🌏
Sustainable construction is shifting from ambition to delivery, with whole life carbon, embodied carbon and life cycle cost now shaping decisions across infrastructure, buildings and climate resilience.
The UK’s Lower Thames Crossing shows the direction of travel, as National Highways works to connect low-carbon plant with dependable hydrogen supply. JCB’s hydrogen combustion route and Toyota’s fuel cell approach point to a maturing market where low carbon design depends as much on refuelling infrastructure as machinery innovation.
Decarbonising the built environment is also moving into operational heat and data. The National Geothermal Centre’s estimate that the UK could unlock 10GW of geothermal heat by 2050 strengthens the case for renewable heat in net zero carbon buildings, provided policy, planning and finance align. In Europe, efforts to make renovation data usable by 2027 underline the importance of lifecycle assessment, building lifecycle performance and whole life carbon assessment. Retrofit programmes need verified information on fabric, energy use, sequencing and embodied carbon in materials if sustainable building design is to move beyond targets.
Climate adaptation is becoming inseparable from environmental sustainability in construction. The £249m Bridgwater Tidal Barrier reflects growing investment in green infrastructure designed for rising water levels and rising project costs. Drought-related subsidence shows that housing resilience must be treated as part of sustainable building practices, not a separate risk category. Extreme heat is already damaging construction productivity, with MSCI estimating labour losses equivalent to around 2% of global GDP.
The sector now faces linked pressures: cleaner construction sites, energy-efficient buildings, low embodied carbon materials and assets capable of withstanding a harsher climate. Copper supply constraints add further complexity to electrification, strengthening the need for resource efficiency in construction, circular economy principles and circular construction strategies. BREEAM, BREEAM v7, environmental product declarations (EPDs), sustainable material specification and eco-design for buildings are becoming practical tools for reducing the carbon footprint of construction and supporting net zero whole life carbon. Sustainability is no longer a procurement preference; it is becoming the core constraint on how construction is planned, financed, built and maintained.
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