Co2 emissions from buildings and construction have hit a new high, which means the sector is unlikely to decarbonise by 2050, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In 2021, investments in building energy efficiency increased by 16 per cent to$US237 billion, but growth in floor space outpaced efficiency efforts.
The sector’s 2021 operational energy-related CO2 emissions were up five per cent over 2020 and two per cent over the pre-pandemic peak in 2019.
Despite an increase in energy efficiency investment and lower energy intensity, the building and construction sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic to an all-time high, a new UNEP report said.
Released at the latest round of climate talks in Egypt, COP27, the 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction found that the sector accounted for over 34 per cent of energy demand and around 37 per cent of energy and process-related CO2 emissions in 2021.
This, according to the report from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), means that the gap between the climate performance of the sector and the 2050 decarbonization pathway is widening.
Executive director of UNEP, Inger Andersen, said years of warnings about the impacts of climate change have become a reality.
“If we do not rapidly cut emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, we will be in deeper trouble,” he said.
Decarbonizing the buildings sector by 2050 is critical to delivering these cuts. To reduce overall emissions, the sector must improve building energy performance, decrease building materials’ carbon footprint, multiply policy commitments alongside action and increase investment in energy efficiency.
Key global trends covered in the report show this sector’s emissions intensity in kilogrammes of CO2 per square metre dropped from 43 in 2015 to 40 in 2021.
Energy intensity in kilowatts per hour per square metre slightly decreased, from 153 in 2015 to 152 in 2021.
Global progress on buildings and construction policies and action remains slow. From 2015 to 2021 the number of countries with building energy codes rose from 62 to 79. However, only 26 per cent of countries have mandatory building energy codes for the entire sector
The report focused on building materials, and the region of Africa.
Raw resource use is predicted to double by 2060 – with steel, concrete and cement already major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Materials used in the construction of buildings already account for around nine per cent of overall energy-related CO2 emissions.
Embodied carbon in buildings – the emissions associated with materials and construction processes – needs to be tackled to avoid undermining energy-saving measures. However, the sector can reduce its impact by, for example, looking at alternative materials and decarbonizing conventional materials such as cement.
The African population is expected to reach 2.4 billion people in 2050 and 80 per cent of this growth will occur in cities. An estimated 70 per cent of the African building stock expected for 2040 has yet to be built.