The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) published the fifth edition of its annual Advancing Net Zero (ANZ) Status Report.

The report showcases breakthrough action from across the GBC network, including the 35 GBCs participating in WorldGBC’s global Advancing Net Zero programme, 175 signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment (the Commitment), the wider GBCs network, partners and more. In addition, the report also highlights collaborative efforts from the market that support WorldGBC’s mission to achieve 100% net zero carbon buildings by 2050.

Read the full report here

A new generation of energy system is emerging. Our supply-side focused systems, dependent on centralised power plants, now increasingly include a myriad of distributed, smaller-scale solutions with consumers taking more active roles. This new way of seeing energy system can help meet our climate and social targets, if managed well. However, barriers remain in our financial, legislative, and political systems. Collaborative action from advocates of the new systems can provide the breakthrough we need.

Read E3G's latest briefing here

Although access to electricity and the use of clean fuels for cooking, heating and lighting is widespread in the UNECE region – and deployment of renewable energy had been increasing and energy efficiency had also been improving – the rate of progress has not been high enough to make the energy targets of Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) achievable. An acceleration of effort is therefore critical to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

This report highlights the gap between actual progress and what is required to achieve SDG7 targets. Closing the gap requires integrated thinking by energy system actors, coupled with enabling policy frameworks and good governance. It also requires increased cooperation and financing 

The report is part of a series of policy briefs compiled by the multi-stakeholder SDG7 Technical Advisory Group (SDG7 TAG) in support of the review of SDG7 at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) 2023.

This issue of Danfoss's white papers presents a roadmap for decarbonizing cities. Cities account for two-thirds of global energy consumption and more than 70% of annual global carbon emissions. With more than half of the world’s population living in cities today – a number expected to increase to almost 70% in 2050 – we will not reach the goals of the Paris Agreement without a deep decarbonization of cities.

Read the key messages here.

European buildings represent 40% of final energy consumption and 36% of GHG emissions related to energy, making them a priority axis for decarbonisation. For the EU, it is urgent to reduce buildings’ energy consumption, especially since 75% of existing buildings are reportedly energy inefficient (i.e. EPC band C or lower according to the SFDR) and require energy renovation work. To act on these issues, one of the main regulatory levers available to the EU is the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD). This directive requires EU countries to ensure that by the end of 2020, all newbuilds are nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB). This EU standard relies on two main pillars: a strong energy performance and the local production of renewable energy.

Read the study here

The 2023 edition of Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report provides the most comprehensive look available at the world’s progress towards global energy targets on access to electricity, clean cooking, renewable energy and energy efficiency, giving the international community the latest global dashboard to register progress on the SDG7 targets at the halfway mark towards the 2030 deadline. It is prepared by the SDG7 Indicator Custodian Agencies: the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) at UN DESA, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The report will be presented to high-level decision makers together with the SDG7 Policy Briefs at a special launch event on 11 July at the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York, which will include a global review of SDG7.

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is entering the last phase of the EU legislative process with the start of trialogue negotiations between the Council and Parliament. Against this backdrop, this briefing by BPIE provides an overview of where institutions stand at the start of the process and highlights where there is still room for improvement.

Download the briefing here.

This report adds a GlobalABC Roadmap for the Arab region, covering 22 countries. This wide approach was taken thanks to UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure’s vision to facilitate a step towards the achievement of the decarbonisation of the whole region. It builds on GlobalABC global and regional roadmaps for buildings and construction, tailoring its strategic approach and examples for operationalisation and implementation to the specific context of the Arab region. A distinctive feature of this roadmap is its response to diverse energy-related status quos in the buildings and construction sector across the region and across the eight activities structuring each GlobalABC roadmap. Different starting points call for different strategies and focal points. For this reason, guidance in this document is presented like a menu for early starters, moderately advanced, or advanced countries. This means Arab countries can pick the most suitable guidance relative to how advanced they evaluate themselves relative to an activity.

About 90% of homes in the Netherlands depending on natural gas for heating, the Netherlands has made a commitment to phase out natural gas by 2050. To achieve the goal, the Netherlands has rolled out a natural gas-free pilot programme in 66 neighbourhoods. These neighbourhood pilot projects enabled municipalities to learn what it takes to start energy transition.

Based on a city survey carried out across 26 local governments, key findings from this report call on national and local governments joining up their efforts to take place-based measures.

This paper is the first case study applying the policy framework presented in the OECD report Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions published in March 2022. The present case study provides a deep dive into the Netherlands’ experience to demonstrate the potential of cities and regions to advance the decarbonisation of buildings.

Read the paper here.

The global renewable energy network REN21 launched its annual Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) Collection for 2023. A dedicated module on buildings explores the trends and opportunities for renewable energy deployment through the lenses of Policy, Investment, Market Developments and Challenges & Opportunities.

Renewables have demonstrated their value in all demand sectors as resilient, reliable, stable and affordable sources of energy, and they have successfully responded to the compounding crises now battering the world, according to REN21’s GSR 2023 Demand Modules, released today.

Read REN21's GSR 2023 Demand Modules here and stay in the loop for forthcoming modules.