Bold action on buildings for COP30

The COP30 outcome must accelerate the building sector’s sustainable transition in line with the Global Stocktake. The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and the global built environment business community are calling on the Member States of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for clear, coordinated government action.

Let COP30 be remembered as the summit that changed the rising tide of climate risk.

The buildings and construction sector is a key driver of greenhouse gases, consuming 32% of global energy and contributing to 34% of global CO2 emissions. But a sustainable built environment is not a distant vision — built environments that are healthier, more resilient to environmental changes, more affordable to run and maintain, less resource-hungry and wasteful — offer greater long-term value and competitiveness. They support the clean energy transition and are at the heart of innovation, productivity and, importantly, vibrant, sustainable communities.

But we need clear, coordinated government action

The Global Stocktake (GST) — a process to monitor collective progress towards achieving the Paris Agreement — is being positioned by the COP30 Presidency as a compass to deliver a ‘Global Determined Contribution’ aligned with the Paris Goal. With countries updating their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) this year, there is a clear opportunity for global climate leaders to be bold on buildings when updating their national climate action plans and when negotiating pivotal outcomes for the planet in Belém. This requires true recognition of our sector’s role in delivering core outcomes of the GST.

The signatories of this Business Action Statement call on COP30 negotiators to:

1. Ensure finance flows support a new clean economy
2. Reduce reliance on fossil fuels by scaling energy efficiency and renewables
3. Drive resilient energy systems through improved grid infrastructure, storage and demand side management
4. Scale adaptation and resilience in the built environment

As signatories to this letter, we confirm our commitment to working with governments to accelerate this transformation.

The World Green Building Council has developed an ‘NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings’ to support the evaluation and strengthening of national-level policy on the built environment.

We invite all policymakers, GBCs and others to assess their countries’ NDCs and policies, and reveal where further action is necessary to increase their ambition and effectiveness for the built environment.