Climate: 70 countries commit to changing their construction methods in the face of carbon emissions
In Paris, 70 countries committed on Friday March 8 to reviewing their ways of building in order to curb global warming.
The commitment was made during the first global Buildings and Climate forum, organized by the UN and the French government.
Because buildings are responsible for 21% of greenhouse gas emissions and this continues to increase, exceeding the rules of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.
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Construction workers installed on top of a building under construction on January 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California (illustrative image).
© Frederic J. Brown / AFP
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Among the commitments of the “
Chaillot declaration
”, the ministers of the Environment or Construction of the 70 signatory countries - including the United States, Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia, but not China - give the priority to
the renovation of existing buildings
, rather than building new, or even strengthening the energy efficiency of constructions.
“
In the world, 110 countries do not have mandatory energy efficiency standards for buildings
,” worries Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, during the closing plenary
.
It is enormous !
And in general these buildings have a lifespan of 50 years.
This means that for 50 years, they are throwing energy out the window!
»
Standards, real estate financing, materials, energy... The aim is to
decarbonize
the building industry, which emits a lot of
greenhouse gases
responsible for the rise in global temperatures.
But also to make buildings more resilient in the face of storms, floods and heatwaves which are increasing, particularly in the most vulnerable countries of the South.
For the first time, all the planet's builders, architects, engineers, design offices and materials manufacturers came together with diplomats and international donors to discuss the climate issue.
Responsible for 21% of emissions
It's urgent.
Construction is a sector “
where global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise
” and which “
is not on track to achieve decarbonization by 2050
,” the statement said.
Ligia Noronha, Under-Secretary General of the UN, recalled that “
the participation of the private sector will have to reach more than 24 billion euros in 2030 to reach net zero
”: “
We must redirect financial flows
”, as well as “a
conducive regulatory framework
”, she declared.
Currently, the sector is responsible for 21% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions.
It also represents 34% of energy demand, for heating or cooling, and captures half of the world's consumption of raw materials, according to the declaration.
Respond to climatic phenomena which are increasing in the countries of the South
For countries in the South, and particularly in Africa, the challenge is twofold: meeting the growing need for decent housing in cities where the population is exploding, and building more resilient buildings
in the face of climatic hazards
.
Because the signatory countries also promise to adapt their constructions to climatic hazards - storms, floods, drought.
These are increasing in particular in the countries of the South.
“Housing is social, but we can also create housing that provides a solution to climate issues
,” explains the Ivorian Minister of Housing Bruno Nabagné Koné
.
By creating sober buildings for example, by favoring air circulation, by favoring the use of local materials
.”
Clay, compressed raw earth, among others: for the minister, African countries must also draw on traditional construction techniques, often more adapted than concrete, to a warming climate.
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