2023 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction: Beyond foundations - Mainstreaming sustainable solutions to cut emissions from the buildings sector

The 2023 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction indicates a significant lag in the sector's progress toward the Paris Agreement's net-zero carbon targets by 2050. To address this, the report provides targeted recommendations: For governments, the urgent need is to develop and enforce climate action roadmaps for buildings and construction, with 161 nations still pending. Building energy codes must be strengthened to enhance efficiency, and despite economic hurdles, investment in building decarbonisation should increase. Policies should also aim to reduce embodied carbon through sustainable practices and materials and promote retrofitting to significantly reduce energy consumption. Private sector…