The GlobalABC was founded as an umbrella or meta-platform – a network of networks – that brings together initiatives and actors along the entire buildings and construction sector value chain at COP21 in 2015 by a group of governments, businesses, intergovernmental, and non-profit organizations, at the initiative of the French government and UNEP. In the nearly six years since its launch, GlobalABC has created and continues to maintain a neutral, member-driven platform, growing from an initial 79 members to 200 members as of November 2021, among which 34 countries. Its mission and vision are to connect governments, the private sector, and organisations to drive the transformation towards a zero-emission, efficient, and resilient buildings and construction sector to achieve a future-proof world for all buildings – both existing and new.  GlobalABC members exchange knowledge, discuss challenges, and collaborate on tools and solutions for rapid decarbonisation of the built environment. In doing so, GlobalABC advocates for, helps develop and implement pathways, policies, strategies and initiatives for reducing climate impacts across the buildings and construction sector. It hereby focuses on both climate mitigation and adaption in support of a net-zero carbon, energy efficient and resilient sector.

Download the 5-year review to look back at the achievements of the GlobalABC and its community since its creation at COP21, and discover how the GlobalABC has succeeded in mobilizing all actors in the sector to raise the profile of buildings for climate action internationally, regionally and locally, to keep track of the progress in decarbonizing the sector and to support countries in transforming their policies through buildings and construction roadmaps. 

Founded at COP21, hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and with 238 members, including 36 countries, the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) is the leading global platform for governments, private sector, civil society, research, and intergovernmental organizations committed to a common vision: A zero-emission, efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector.
 
The GlobalABC aims to:

• Be a global advocate and a catalyst to action: GlobalABC advocates for market transformation and focuses on catalysing action by defining a carbon neutrality strategy for the built environment.
• Be a trusted platform to set targets and track progress: GlobalABC tracks progress in its annual Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR), and its Building Climate Tracker, a new index to track progress in decarbonization in the sector.
• Support countries in setting priorities and measures based on their situation: GlobalABC develops policy guidance and global and regional buildings and construction roadmaps outlining aspirational targets, timelines, and key actions for essential policies and technologies, and, offering a model for national and city-level buildings and construction roadmaps to support and raise the ambition of NDCs.

Download the brochure to learn more.

Le rafraîchissement urbain est un sujet récent et les connaissances produites par la recherche et les premières expérimentations donnent des résultats divers, parfois difficiles à décrypter pour les acteurs opérationnels.
Ce guide propose une approche synthétique, multicritères et opérationnelle des solutions émergentes ou éprouvées, adaptées à différents contextes climatiques et urbains. Il s’agit d’éclairer la décision des acteurs publics et privés, tant sur leurs choix d’aménagement, de construction, de rénovation des bâtiments que d’aménagement des espaces extérieurs.

Téléchargez la synthèse du guide ici!

This is an updated brochure that brings a snapshot of the goals and work of the GlobalABC.

The question of cost comes up when discussing any form of change, whether it be automobiles, cell phones or better buildings. Throughout history, humans have bettered their life through innovation, delivering better products for less money, yet a pervasive assumption persists in the construction sector that improvements to building efficiency, durability, resilience or health will negatively impact affordability. The opposite is in fact true, yet the assumption continues in many circles.

To address this assumption, I have frequently been asked for costing studies to demonstrate the affordability of highly energy efficient new buildings. The “better costs more” narrative assumes, for example, that energy efficiency requires adding stuff to buildings, thereby increasing cost, rather than designing them differently to achieve better outcomes. This article is written to provide a response to those concerned about the cost of climate and people friendly new buildings.

PEEB, together with the Work Area Finance of the GlobalABC, published a briefing on the EU taxonomy and its meaning for buildings. 

The EU Taxonomy aims at pushing the financial and industrial sectors towards more investments for climate neutrality in the EU. It does so by establishing a classification framework of sustainable investments. This allows investors to identify which investments are sustainable and can be marketed as such, increasing transparency. 

For buildings, technical screening criteria were developed for the construction of buildings, renovation of buildings, sale and ownership of buildings, installation of energy efficient equipment, or for manufacturing in the supply chain. Demonstrating compliance with these criteria requires collecting data and information – likely more than usually available.

The impact of the EU taxonomy is reinforced through a new corporate sustainability reporting directive and a sustainable finance disclosure regulation, which will likely require disclosure against EU taxonomy metrics. It is relevant mainly for actors outside the EU but spillover effects on other markets and jurisdictions are expected.

A key sector for climate action, buildings and construction is not on track. Driving down emissions will entail: aggressively reducing energy demand in the built environment, while decarbonizing the power sector and implementing materials strategies that reduce lifecycle carbon emissions. In this brochure, you will find key data, key messages and further readings about the buildings and construction sector.

A brochure on the buildings and real estate pavilion

The building sector, as it stands today, is a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union. It remains highly dependent on fossil fuels, has yet to embrace circularity, and is not seeing the renovation activity necessary to meet climate goals and improve people’s wellbeing. The Renovation Wave strategy published by the Commission on October 14, 2020 calls for faster and deeper renovation and is comprehensive and far-reaching. Its premise is that to contribute to a higher 2030 climate target and decarbonise the building sector, a wide range of policies, measures and tools must be put in place at all levels to overcome existing barriers and mobilise all actors, including citizens, local authorities, investors and the construction value chain.

This assessment sets out BPIE’s views on the key elements of the strategy and provides suggestions how they can be put into action. For example, BPIE argues that a much stronger focus on deep renovations is needed to achieve full decarbonisation of buildings by 2050 and this should be reflected in the upcoming legislative processes and respective supporting instruments.

The Renovation Wave will catalyse a series of actions in the coming years to unleash a wave of building renovations. New and stronger follow-up measures are welcome and needed. At the same time, such an initiative can only be successful if the current legislation is well implemented across EU Member States providing the necessary solid basis for delivering the Renovation Wave.

This brochure produced by the German Sustainable Building Council details the path from climate neutral buildings to climate positive. It includes case studies of climate positive buildings from Singapore and Germany. Finally, it outlines the elements of a climate action strategy.