The Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), recently published by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC), offers insights into carbon emissions from this sector.
The world adds structures equivalent to the size of Paris every five days. But most buildings are not constructed with environmental concerns in mind.
Buildings are a major source of carbon emissions because they use vast amounts of energy —34% of global demand—from fossil fuels for heating and cooling. Steel, cement, aluminium and glass used in construction require energy to make, transport and install.
In 2022, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from buildings hit 10 gigatonnes, which translates into 37% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
To address the issue, humanity needs to reduce operational and embodied emissions from buildings. This can be done by building with fewer materials, reusing building components, and repurposing existing buildings for a more circular approach to construction.
Using sustainably sourced bio-based materials, such as timber and bamboo can also reduce environment impact.
Climate change cannot be effectively addressed unless we change how buildings are built and used.