Building the Transition

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Building the Transition is World Green Building Council’s flagship global programme, mobilising over 75 national Green Building Councils (GBCs) and 48,000 members to:

Drive total decarbonisation of the built environment.
Promote healthy, equitable, and resilient buildings, cities, and communities.
Support the regeneration of natural systems and a thriving circular economy.

As the delivery vehicle for WorldGBC’s 2025–2027 strategy, Building the Transition translates global climate ambition into local impact through three interlinking actions:

#BuildingTheTransition

Co-creating national sector roadmaps – developing actionable, Paris-aligned pathways for the built environment at national and sector levels.

Amplifying global, regional, and local advocacy – raising awareness and mobilising stakeholders to advance building decarbonisation and resilience.

Fostering policies, standards, and codes – driving regulatory frameworks, guidance, and market mechanisms that accelerate our agenda.

Find out more about WorldGBC’s 2025—27 strategy here.

Find out more about our COP30 campaign here

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Building the Transition directly supports the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C target with measurable interim goals by 2030:

35% reduction in energy intensity

40% reduction in embodied carbon

50% reduction in operational emissions

All new buildings to be zero-emission

Substantial improvement in public wellbeing

Reduction of air, soil and water pollution and implementation of health-based urban planning

Sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

Zero waste to landfill and working towards a built environment with net zero whole life resource depletion

The initiative mobilises GBCs and their members to implement national decarbonisation and resilience roadmaps, helping governments improve regulations, promoting private sector leadership, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration to scale measurable climate action.

Building the Transition operates across three pillars:

Align

Standardises ambition with shared 2030 goals for energy, emissions, and circularity

Reduces duplication and co-funds solutions for greater efficiency

Partner

Builds coalitions connecting governments, businesses, and civil society

Integrates policy, finance, and private sector leadership into scalable solutions

Scale

Accelerates implementation of roadmaps across regions and sectors

Mobilises leadership to catalyse progress and create ripple effects of commitment

Net Zero Carbon Buildings (NZCB) Commitment – Engages companies to commit whole building portfolios to net zero by 2030, report progress, and verify performance.

BuildingLife – Provides whole life carbon roadmaps, influencing national and EU legislation.

NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings – Supports policymakers to align building sector commitments with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Zero Carbon & Climate Resilience Readiness Framework – Establishes baselines across five pillars (government, technical, finance, data, mindset), identifies gaps, and prepares national stakeholder communities to develop and implement Paris-aligned roadmaps for decarbonisation and climate resilience.

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Building the Transition

Climate goals

How Building the Transition works

Align

Partner

Scale

Key initiatives