{"id":34673,"date":"2025-03-28T08:38:46","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=34673"},"modified":"2025-03-28T08:39:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:39:29","slug":"global-state-of-buildings-and-construction-report-2024-2025-is-not-just-another-brick-in-the-wall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/03\/28\/global-state-of-buildings-and-construction-report-2024-2025-is-not-just-another-brick-in-the-wall\/","title":{"rendered":"The Global State of Buildings and Construction Report 2024\/2025, not just another brick in the wall"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The document provided &quot;<a href=\"https:\/\/wedocs.unep.org\/handle\/20.500.11822\/47214\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024\/2025<\/span><\/a>&quot;analyzes in detail <strong>current state of the building and construction sector in 2024\/2025<\/strong> in the context of global climate goals <!--more-->and sustainability. The document highlights that while solutions exist and progress has been made in some areas <strong>moderate progress<\/strong>, sector <strong>still not on the right track<\/strong> to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and increase resilience to climate change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key findings and trends:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Significant contribution to emissions and energy consumption<\/strong>: In 2023, the buildings and construction sector accounted for approximately <strong>34 % of global energy-related CO\u2082 emissions<\/strong> and around <strong>32 % total energy consumption<\/strong>Operational emissions reached a record level of 9.8 gigatonnes, while embodied carbon amounted to approximately 2.9 gigatonnes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slow progress in decarbonization<\/strong>: Despite a slight decrease in embodied carbon emissions and increased use of renewable energy (17 % of total energy consumption in buildings in 2023), <strong>improvements in energy efficiency are still insufficient<\/strong> to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. CO\u2082 emissions from the sector have increased by 5 % since 2015, with a reduction of 28 % needed by 2030.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Positive trends<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Growing use of renewable energy and electrification<\/strong> heating and cooling systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Significant growth in green building certification<\/strong>, especially in OECD countries.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The gradual rise of circular construction practices<\/strong>such as reusing materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Critical challenges<\/strong>:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Built-in carbon<\/strong> from materials such as steel and cement remains a major source of emissions (18 % of global emissions related to buildings).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slowing down the adoption and revision of building codes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insufficient policy frameworks<\/strong> and the lack of detailed decarbonization plans in nationally determined contributions (NDCs).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insufficient cumulative investment<\/strong> into energy efficiency (shortage of $1.1 trillion).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gaps in green financing<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Policy frameworks and initiatives:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>National policies<\/strong> play a key role in decarbonizing the sector. Examples from Germany, South Africa and Rwanda demonstrate the effectiveness of combining mandatory standards, economic incentives and financial mechanisms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Building energy regulations<\/strong> are one of the most effective tools for reducing operational emissions. Although 85 countries have adopted residential building codes, more than 50% of new global construction is still not covered by these codes. Modernization of codes includes renewables, life cycle assessment and energy-efficient design.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)<\/strong> reflect increasing sectoral integration, with 80 %s addressing mitigation in the buildings sector. However, only 18 %s contain quantifiable targets and financing pathways are inconsistent. The update of NDCs (NDC 3.0) presents an opportunity to strengthen the frameworks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>International initiatives<\/strong> such as the Buildings Breakthrough Agenda and the Chaillot Declaration seek to accelerate the decarbonisation of the sector through collaboration on standards, demand generation, financing, research, skills and coordination.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Road maps<\/strong> for buildings and construction help set concrete actions and targets to reduce emissions and increase resilience. GlobalABC has developed a methodology to support the creation of these maps.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Investments and financing:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2023 <strong>Global investment in building energy efficiency fell by 7% in 1Q3<\/strong> to $270 billion due to rising borrowing costs and the termination of some government programs.<\/li>\n<li>Only <strong>4 % global construction investment<\/strong> directed towards green initiatives in 2023.<\/li>\n<li>Cities that are the center of construction activity need an estimated <strong>$1 trillion per year<\/strong> for green renovations and energy-efficient projects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Green bonds<\/strong> and sustainability-linked debt have demonstrated resilience and growth. However, emerging markets face underdeveloped financing.<\/li>\n<li>The UNEP 2024 Emissions Gap Report estimates that to achieve the necessary improvements in energy efficiency, <strong>annual investments of 1.3 to 2.1 trillion USD<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Global Building Climate Survey (GBCT):<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>GBCT shows that the building sector <strong>significantly lagging behind<\/strong> towards decarbonization goals by 2030 and 2050.<\/li>\n<li>Between 2015 and 2023, <strong>CO\u2082 emissions from building operations increased by 5.4 %<\/strong>, instead of the required reduction of 28.1 %.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Energy intensity<\/strong> decreased by only 9.5 %, which is less than the target of 18.2 %.<\/li>\n<li>Share <strong>renewable energy<\/strong> in final energy consumption it increased by only 4.5 percentage points, which is significantly below the target of 17.8 points.<\/li>\n<li>Cumulative <strong>investments in energy efficiency<\/strong> they are $1.1 trillion behind.<\/li>\n<li>To meet the 2030 goals, it is necessary <strong>annual improvement in GBCT by 10 points<\/strong>, which is almost double the rate originally requested in 2015.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Challenges for the future:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The document identifies six key challenges that need to be overcome to achieve zero carbon emissions:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Building regulations<\/strong>: Major emitters must accept <strong>mandatory regulations for zero-carbon buildings<\/strong> by 2028, other countries by 2030, and countries without regulations must set a path to mandatory adoption by 2035.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Renewals<\/strong>: <strong>Threefold increase in the pace of energy renewal<\/strong> buildings by 2030 to achieve a 35% reduction in energy efficiency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adoption of renewable energy<\/strong>: Accelerating the deployment of renewable energy sources in buildings with the aim of increasing the share of energy produced on site from 6 % to 19 % and the total share of electricity from renewable sources from 11 % to 46 % by 2030.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NDC integration<\/strong>: Major emitters and G20 governments must include detailed plans for building code reforms in their NDC 3.0 contributions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Built-in carbon<\/strong>: Major emitters and G20 countries must adopt limits on embodied carbon in building codes by 2030.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Financing<\/strong>: <strong>Doubling investments in energy efficiency<\/strong> buildings from $270 billion to $522 billion by 2030.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>The paper concludes that coordinated efforts by policymakers, industry stakeholders and financial institutions are essential to overcome the challenges and harness the full potential of the buildings and construction sector in shaping a sustainable future. <em><strong>Spring<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Glossary of key terms<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>BEZs (Building Energy Codes) \/ Energy regulations for buildings:<\/strong> A set of rules and standards setting minimum requirements for the energy efficiency of buildings, which may relate to design, construction, materials and systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Decarbonization:<\/strong> The process of reducing carbon emissions (especially carbon dioxide) associated with an activity or sector with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Energy efficiency:<\/strong> The ability to achieve the same level of performance or service with less energy consumed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>GBCT (Global Buildings Climate Tracker):<\/strong> A composite index monitoring global progress towards full decarbonization of the construction sector by 2050.<\/li>\n<li><strong>GHG (Greenhouse Gas):<\/strong> A gas in the atmosphere that absorbs and emits infrared radiation, thereby contributing to the greenhouse effect. The main GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).<\/li>\n<li><strong>NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution):<\/strong> Climate commitments that each country submits under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), containing targets and measures to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NZE (Net Zero Emissions):<\/strong> The state where greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activity are globally balanced by their removal from the atmosphere over a certain period.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Renewable energy:<\/strong> Energy obtained from natural sources that complement each other (e.g. solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, geothermal energy, biomass).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Resilience:<\/strong> The ability of systems, communities, or buildings to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disturbances or shocks while maintaining their essential function.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sustainability:<\/strong> The ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, including environmental, social and economic aspects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ZEB (Zero Emissions Building):<\/strong> A building that emits no greenhouse gas emissions during its operation, usually due to high energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources on or near the site.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The provided document &quot;Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024\/2025&quot; analyzes in detail the current state of the buildings and construction sector in 2024\/2025 in the context of global climate goals.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-klimaticka-zmena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34673\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}