Carbon Report to be Issued as Call to Action for Construction Sector

THE TENTH annual World Green Building Week (23-29 September 2019) will mark the start of the World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) focus on end-to-end carbon emissions created across the construction industry.

At the event the Council is set to highlight the need for the sustainable production, design, build, use, deconstruction and reuse of buildings and their materials.

According to the WorldGBC, buildings and construction together account for 36% of global final energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions when upstream power generation is included. Operational emissions from buildings account for 28% overall, while the remaining 11% are attributed to embodied carbon emissions, which refers to carbon that is released during material manufacturing and the construction and demolition process.

In a bid to tackle the amount of carbon emissions created across the construction industry, the WorldGBC has compiled a report. The report outlines issues around embodied carbon and presents a vision for a net zero carbon construction future.

In the report, the WorldGBC calls for urgent action, recommending specific steps that businesses, the government and civil society can take to help shape a net zero carbon future for the whole lifecycle of all buildings.

The report will be released during World Green Building Week in September 2019.

WorldGBC

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council

Cristina Gamboa, CEO, World Green Building Council commented: “This year’s focus for World Green Building Week on the full lifecycle of buildings is key to promote innovation and accelerate the abatement of emissions from buildings, which stand at 39% of total emissions worldwide.

“In the campaign, the construction industry will find ways to address the carbon footprint of buildings and identify how to accelerate market transformation. Only by having an end to end understanding can our green building movement truly help contribute to the decarbonisation of the built environment.”

WorldGBC will be looking to its global network of green building and construction industry experts to act as ambassadors throughout the week to promote action on total emissions and the whole life cycle of buildings. This will take the form of proactive media opportunities, hosting events, publishing reports, thought leadership articles and manifestos, making net zero carbon building commitments, and promoting the week on social media platforms using the hashtag #buildinglife.

For more information visit the WorldGBC website.

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