COP27: It’s now or never. The clock is ticking and to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach, it’s the time to turn words into real action and follow through on the ambitions set last year.
his really feels like a balancing act between anxiety and optimism. At the end of the day, what we really need is for COP27 to leave us feeling confident that there’s consensus and clear action to remain within the 1.5°C goal as well as progress on adaptation finance and loss and damage.
Buildings and cities have an extremely important role to play. The building sector’s demand for natural resources, as well as the energy consumption of buildings and infrastructure, has made it a leading contributor to the climate crisis.
The building sector’s demand for natural resources, as well as the energy consumption of buildings and infrastructure, has made it a leading contributor to the climate crisis. It’s therefore crucial that at COP27 and beyond, cities and the built environment get the much-needed recognition that they deserve as crucial actors in the fight to tackle the climate crisis.
A refresher on the key stats about Buildings, Cities & the Climate Crisis:
• Cities are responsible for 75% of global CO2 emissions, with transportation and buildings among the largest contributors.
• The building & construction sector account for 40% of global GHG emissions.
• 11% of those figures result from building materials and products like steel, cement and glass.
• 50% of the buildings that will exist in 2050, are yet to be built.
COP27 is an opportunity to intensify the focus on the crucial roles our cities and the built environment play in tackling the climate crisis.
My top Buildings & Cities resources to take you through COP27
What better day to take time to read up on female role models than today? Here’s my list of resources championing the remarkable women shaping the future of the built environment:
Keep in the know of everything to do with the built environment at COP27: The Building to COP Coalition is a group of sustainability-focused built environment NGOs and organisations working to position the built environment as a critical sector to achieve the needed transition to a resilient and zero emissions future at COP conferences.
International Energy Agency (IEA)’s tracking report on Buildings
Read up on the latest tracking report on the building sector. Take a deeper look into the Buildings sector broken down into CO2 Emissions, Energy, Activity, Innovation, Policy and Investment, and where we stand today. Spoiler alert, we’re currently not on track.
UN Environment Programme’s “Six Sector Solution to Climate Change: Buildings and Cities”
Check out this Interactive intro to what role the building and cities sectors play on the road to 1.5°C in the UNEP six sectors solution. Building on the Emissions Gap report, this looks at how six sectors can support the transition to a low-carbon, resilient future.