Building materials and the climate

Tackling the “embodied carbon” emissions from the production and deployment of building materials is essential for the decarbonization of the buildings and construction sector. UNEP/Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction launched the flagship report “Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future” at the New York Climate Week. The report was financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economy and Climate, and supported by the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) and the advisory programme “Powering Climate Protection” (PCP). This generates further momentum on the road to COP28 that will see the launch of a “Buildings Breakthrough”, and the Global Forum on Buildings and Construction in Paris in March 2024.

While climate action has paid attention to emissions from the operation of buildings, including heating, cooling, and energy use in buildings, policies to address embodied carbon emissions have been lagging. Developed by UNEP and the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture, in the framework of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the report emphasizes a “whole life-cycle approach” to reduce emissions in the sector. It recommends an Avoid-Shift-Improve strategy:

  • Avoid waste through a circular approach, resource efficiency and renovation
  • Shift to ethically and sustainably sourced renewable bio-based building materials
  • Improve conventional materials that cannot be replaced

Anja Hajduk, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action and French Climate Ambassador Stéphane Crouzat gave welcoming remarks for the high-level dialogue alongside Ligia Noronha, UN Assistant Secretary-General and head of UNEP New York Office. The event was hosted by the Yale CEA and co-hosted by Design for Freedom by Grace Farms Foundation and The Architectural League of New York. Lead authors Anna Dyson (Yale CEA and Design for Freedom Working Group) and Dr. Mae-ling Lokko (Willow Technologies and Yale School of Architecture) the chance to present the report’s findings. The presentations were followed by a debate with other event speakers from governments, international and civil society organizations, and industry actors: H.E. Soipan Tuya, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Kenya; Abdoul Salam Bello, Executive Director of the Africa Group II, World Bank; Thomas Guillot, CEO, GCCA; Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder, Design for Freedom by Grace Farms.

Anja Hajduk, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action, speaks at the launch of the Building Materials and the Climate report at the Yale Club, during the 2023 New York Climate Week. Credit: Jacek Dolata

The Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings aims to transform the building sector by promoting sustainable building design and construction. PEEB combines financing for energy efficiency in large-scale projects with technical assistance through policy advice. PEEB combines the expertise of its implementing agencies Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and Agence de la Transition Écologique (ADEME) and is catalysed by the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).

The report can be downloaded here.

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