COP29 Buildings and Cooling Pavilion

Climate Action Roadmaps for Buildings and Construction: on the Path for a Low Carbon and Resilient Built Environment

Event description

The buildings and construction sector accounts for a staggering 37 per cent of global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, making it the second largest emitting sector after electricity generation (GlobalABC, 2024). This sector is also responsible for significant global material consumption and waste generation, further exacerbating environmental pressures.

Decarbonising buildings across the entire life cycle would require a transformation of the buildings and construction sector. Reaching net-zero operational and embodied carbon emission buildings is possible, but requires clear and ambitious policy signals to drive a range of measures including passive building design, material efficiency, low-carbon materials, efficient building envelope measures, and highly efficient lighting and appliances. To accelerate action, greater collaboration involving a range of stakeholders is needed, including policy makers and the private sector.

This session will address the importance of bringing all stakeholders together to identify pathways and set targets to decarbonize the sector, every country is meant to have a Roadmap to decarbonize the sector by 2030. The session will showcase the tools to do so, such as the new step-by-step guide to develop Climate Action Roadmaps for Buildings and Construction. It will present examples of ambitious national strategies such as Canada’s Green Buildings Strategy for a more efficient, resilient and low carbon built environment. Beyond strategies for the overall buildings industry, the session will highlight the critical role of sector-specific decarbonization roadmaps such as for the cement sector which is responsible for around 7-8% of global GHG emissions. Leading experts from the public sector and industry will share cement decarbonization solutions and best practices for effective technology transfer to achieve net-zero emissions in cement production.

Agenda 

10:00 – 10:05 | Welcome and Opening Remarks
Speaker: Gulnara Roll, Head of Cities Unit, UNEP

10:05 – 10:15 | Keynote Speech on Canada’s Green Buildings Strategy
Speaker: Rachel McCormick, Director General, International and Intergovernmental Affairs, Natural Resources Canada

10:15 – 10:25 | Launch of the New GlobalABC Step-by-Step Guide to Develop Climate Action Roadmaps for Buildings and Construction
Speaker: Dr. Samantha Stratton-Short, Head of Strategic Initiatives, UNOPS

10:25 – 10:35 | Cement Decarbonization Roadmaps
Speaker: Anne Dekeukelaere, Executive Director, Centre for Worldwide Sustainable Construction (CWSC), EPFL

10:35 – 11:25 | Panel Discussion: Setting a Pathway to Decarbonize the Buildings and Construction Sector
Moderator: Dietram Oppelt, Vice-Chair, Technology Executive Committee, CTCN

Panel:
El Hadji Diop, National Designated Entity for Senegal, UNFCCC Technology MechanismAnne Dekeukelaere, Executive Director, CWSC at EPFLSimon McWhirter, Deputy Chief Executive, UK Green Building Council & Co-Chair, Climate Action CoalitionAudrey Nugent, Global Advocacy & Campaigns Director at the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).

Panel Discussion: 40 minutes
Open Q&A: 10 minutes

11:25 – 11:30 | Closing Remarks
Speaker: Lea Renalder, UN Habitat