26 July 2023

Accelerating a breakthrough in decarbonising the built environment

The 2023 Advancing Net Zero Status Report highlights action being taken now to decarbonise the built environment. 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 iPaper 2023 Advancing Net Zero Status report here.
• Download a PDF version of the 2023 Advancing Net Zero Status report here.

The report includes: 

• Advancing Net Zero: Accelerating Towards Critical Mass 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the AR6 Synthesis Report earlier this year as a ‘final reminder’ that the global community urgently needs to mobilise and scale available solutions to deliver a decarbonised, sustainable and resilient future. Across our network, we are advancing net zero and accelerating action on built environment decarbonisation. Since the last Status Report, we’ve seen further progress towards achieving our Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Vision through the release of 3 further WLC roadmaps, many reports and guidance releases from GBCs, ANZ activities across all five regional networks, and advocacy action at COP27. 

• NZCB Commitment: Stakeholders Delivering at Scale

Over the last twelve months, we have seen more signatories moving from making their commitments to taking action, including the delivery of Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower, featured on the front cover. The Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment continues to showcase the leadership of stakeholders from across the built environment who are delivering decarbonisation at scale. We dive into examples of action from across the globe, showcasing how each stakeholder category is initiating change throughout the building life cycle.

• Regional Updates

WorldGBC’s regional networks have been actively tackling net zero carbon emissions, hosting events and webinars that reached more than 26,000 people, to educate and elevate the sector. To support widespread engagement, other regional initiatives such as net zero readiness frameworks, knowledge hubs and projects have been established. 

• Whole Life Carbon Roadmaps 

Whole Life Carbon (WLC) roadmaps continue to be an important way that GBCs adopt WorldGBC’s WLC approach and provide guidance for local markets on how to decarbonise their built environments. So far, GBCs have released, or are developing, a total of 22 national Whole Life Carbon roadmaps to guide respective countries on their road to sustainable development. This year, we’ve expanded the map to highlight all GBC roadmaps, those already published and those in development, as well as external roadmaps linked to the building sector.

• Trends & Innovations

This year we tackle the issue: ‘The Problem With Net Zero’. We share success stories  from across our network and beyond, highlighting work already being done to overcome a wide range of “problems” facing net zero buildings such as access to finance, electrification, offsets, existing buildings, embodied carbon, NDCs, EPDS, definitions and benchmarks.

• Gearing up for COP28

The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 30 November to 12 December 2023. COP28 will build on the successes of COP27 where the 2030 Breakthrough for the Built Environment was introduced, outlining the levers of change required to transition the sector. Together, we can accelerate action and achieve a breakthrough moment for the built environment.

• GBC Leadership Action

This year the ANZ team is shining a light on three GBCs: Kenya Green Building Society, Chile Green Building Council and India Green Building Council. Find out more about what these GBCs are doing to advance net zero in their countries.

• Building Resilience Across the Value Chain Towards Decarbonisation

Building resilience is crucial to the mitigation of emissions and adaptation to the effects of the climate crisis. Industry leaders are accelerating action to decarbonise their own portfolios and beyond, engaging with their value chains both upstream and downstream to facilitate change. Our Advancing Net Zero Global Programme Partners share what actions they are taking to decarbonise and build a sustainable, resilient, equitable built environment for everyone, everywhere.