COP29: Green Construction, Energy Efficiency, Climate Resilience in Cities & ICBC Ministerial Launch

This event is a High-Level Roundtable as part of the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP29.
The buildings and construction sector is a driver of prosperity and economic development of cities; at the same time, it is a major contributor to environmental degradation in cities, responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, loss of land, and waste generation. Climate change has heightened the need for resilient urban infrastructure capable of withstanding extreme weather events and natural disasters. Thus, the push towards green and resilient buildings has become more critical than ever.
The built environment is a “sleeping giant” for climate action with vast untapped potential for impactful action. Currently, the buildings and construction sector accounts for 21 percent of global annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (IPCC, 2022). In 2022 alone, the sector accounted for 37 per cent of global energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2), and an estimated 34 percent of global final energy demand (UNEP, 2024). These figures are projected to grow as incomes rise globally and populations rapidly urbanise. The Global Status Report on Buildings and Construction issued annually by Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction confirms a widening gap between the actual climate performance of the sector and the objective of decarbonization.
The world needs to act now to decarbonize buildings along their lifecycle and increase their resilience to changing climates. New construction presents a significant opportunity for climate change mitigation: about 60 percent of buildings expected by 2050 have yet to be built. Around 80 per cent of this growth in floor area will occur in low-income countries. Existing buildings also offer substantial mitigation potential. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 requires retrofitting at least 20% of current building stock to zero-carbon levels, necessitating an increase in renovation rates to 2% annually by 2030, up from 1 per cent in 2022.Governments have a key role to play and the objectives of existing multilateral agreements, especially those of the Paris Climate Agreement, can be met without setting up long-term national policies and plans to support the decarbonization of the sector. Collaboration between subnational and national stakeholders and engagement of other stakeholders, including the private sector, is crucial. In July 2024, representatives of the built environment sector of Azerbaijan signed the Azerbaijan Sustainability Built Environment Pledge confirming their intent to contribute to decarbonization of the sector and achieving the Paris Agreement and by Azerbaijan's Climate Action goals. The potential for transformative change in the building sector is within reach, with the necessary technologies and capabilities already at hand.
International, including intergovernmental, cooperation as well as multi-level collaboration of all actors along the building and construction value chain is key to accelerating the urban transformation we need. The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction hosted by UNEP offers an important international platform for all governments and stakeholders to collaborate. The Chaillot Declaration, endorsed by over 60 countries in March 2024, serves as a critical milestone in strengthening international collaboration among national governments to reduce emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change in the building sector. A key outcome of the Declaration is the establishment of an Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate, facilitated by the GlobalABC. This initiative plays a pivotal role in reinforcing the implementation of climate actions at local, national, and international levels, directly supporting the achievement of the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.
This High-Level Roundtable at COP29, organised as part of the third Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change on the COP29 Urbanization, Transport and Tourism Day, will focus on how to transform ambition into action in the buildings and construction sector in our cities. The event will convene ministers, mayors, and non-party stakeholders’ leaders to showcase the transformative potential of climate action in the buildings sector. The event will highlight solutions that can unlock economic growth, create jobs, reduce energy bills, improve health, and empower communities. It will emphasize the opportunity that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) present to catalyze these solutions and attract investment. The event will also underscore the critical role public finance can play in leveraging private investment for the sector’s transition. Additionally, it will formally serve as the inaugural ministerial meeting of the new Intergovernmental Council of Buildings and Climate (ICBC).