Webinar: Buildings and the clean energy transition
2026-03-12 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Online
In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “we are in the dawn of a new energy era” and “the energy transition is unstoppable.” The shift to clean energy isn’t just necessary, it is already underway.

Buildings sit at the heart of this transition. The operation of buildings alone accounts for 26% of global emissions making the sector critical for climate action. Through electrification, improved energy efficiency and the integration of renewables, buildings can play a critical role in driving a rapid transition away from fossil fuels.

In this webinar, we will hear from leading industry voices on the role of buildings in this transition and what actions are needed to unlock progress at scale.

We will briefly outline the World Green Building Council’s new position paper, ‘Powering the Transition: Building Electrification’, that provides an overview of the rationale, methods and benefits of removing fossil fuels from our built assets.

COP30: Driving Climate Action: Activating Roadmaps & Scaling Climate Solutions to Deliver the COP30 Action Agenda
2025-11-14 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Sao_Paulo) | Blue Zone, Thematic Hub, Parque da Cidade, Belém, Brazil
This is a COP30 Action Agenda Event.

COP30: From Shoreline to Skyline: Resilient Infrastructure, Buildings and Coastal Planning for a Changing Climate
2025-11-13 09:00 - 10:30 (America/Sao_Paulo)

COP30: Driving sustainable construction forward: Pathways and priority actions for transformative change across the value chain
2025-11-12 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Sao_Paulo) | Blue Zone, Buildings and Coolings Pavillion, Blue Zone, Parque da Cidade, Belém, Brazil
Join WorldGBC CEO Cristina Gamboa for a fireside chat co-hosted by GlobalABC and Saint-Gobain at COP30, where we’ll be exploring what needs to happen to accelerate low-carbon, climate-resilient solutions across the built environment.

Register here

COP30: Practical insights on the green transition as a core pillar of effective climate action
2025-11-10 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Sao_Paulo) | World Green Economy Organisation Pavilion, Belém, Brazil

COP30: Greenbuilding Brasil 2025
2025-11-06 10:30 - 11:15 (America/Sao_Paulo) | Arquipeo, Av. Mofarrej, 971 – Vila Leopoldina, São Paulo – SP, 05311-000, Brazil, São Paulo, Brazil

COP30: The Built Environment: Generating Resilient Communities
2025-11-04 11:15 - 12:30 (America/Sao_Paulo)

BuildingToCOP Forum #1: COP 101 & Where are we now?
2025-09-11 14:00 - 15:00 UTC
Join us on 11 September 2025 from 14:00—15:00 BST, where the BuildingToCOP Coalition will share insights and build momentum in the lead-up to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, and a few COP101 tips for everyone. Joining us as a Firestarter for the first Forum will be Paul Watkinson – a high-level multilateral facilitator and negotiator – sharing his experience as a negotiator at COP.

#BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 Webinar Series: Unlocking Impactful Finance
2025-09-09 08:00 - 09:00 UTC
World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) invites you to the fourth webinar in our #BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 series: Unlocking Impactful Finance

The built environment isn’t just the world’s largest asset class — it’s our biggest opportunity to tackle the climate crisis. Finance has the power to shape its future, yet one question remains: what truly makes a building investment fit for tomorrow?

This webinar will unveil a new report from WorldGBC’s Asia Pacific Network, developed with OCBC, on aligning green building rating tools with the ASEAN Taxonomy to unlock sustainable investment across the region.

We’ll also highlight case studies from different geographies showcasing how local green finance schemes are already powering sustainable, more resilient buildings — and explore how taxonomies and Green Building Council (GBC) tools are accelerating the flow of capital into climate-positive projects.

What you’ll gain:

Practical ways to align your finance and climate goals with the transition already underway

Inspiring real-world examples of finance driving greener buildings

Insights into how GBCs and policymakers are joining forces to fast-track sustainable investment

World Green Building Week 2025
2025-09-08 08:00 - 2025-09-12 17:00 UTC

#BeBoldOnBuildings COP 30 Webinar Series - Adapting with Impact
2025-08-27 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
We’re showcasing real-world case studies from business leaders who are prioritising resilience and adaption across the building sector — by empowering local communities, protecting vulnerable regions, and designing buildings that can withstand climate shocks.

According to the UNFCCC, only 62 parties have submitted adaption communications under the Global Stocktake. There’s an urgent need for greater transparency, leadership, and local action.

This session will introduce the “Developing a strategy for climate resilient buildings” — a position paper outlining how resilient building strategies can safeguard communities, support climate goals, and deliver business value.

Join this webinar as we spotlight green building solutions that prioritise adaptation and resilience to protect people, infrastructure, and investments from escalating climate risks.

About the #BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 webinar series In the lead-up to COP30 in Belém, Brazil, our webinar series highlights tangible case studies from industry leaders who are already scaling actionable climate solutions in the built environment.

COP30 will be a critical turning point as countries update Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) — action plans that implement the Paris Agreement and close the gaps highlighted by the Global Stocktake.

Achieving this requires a tripling of renewable energy capacity, doubling energy efficiency improvements, and moving decisively away from fossil fuels.

From developers and investors to manufacturers and technology providers — the building and construction community are already implementing green building solutions that plug this gap.

Join us to lead the global Mutirão for the built environment.

Mitigation in Motion | #BeBoldOnBuildings COP 30 Webinar Series
2025-08-07 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
WorldGBC invites you to the second webinar in our #BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 series: Mitigation in Motion

We’re showcasing real-world mitigation strategies from frontrunners reducing emissions across the building sector by scaling renewable energy, electrifying systems, and boosting energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency and electrification are two of the most important mitigation measures with scalable solutions that are delivering significant impact today, and will continue to contribute towards our 2050 goals (IEA, Net Zero by 20250 report).

Join this session to find out how we can scale existing green building solutions and bend the emissions curve by 2025 – not 2050.

Building Decarbonisation in Metro Manila
2025-07-17 15:00 - 16:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
Insights from Quezon City, Neo & the Philippine Green Building Council

Date: 17th July 2025

Time: 15:00 – 16:00 (Philippines)

The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) and C40 Cities are hosting a webinar to explore building decarbonisation actions taken by cities and businesses in the transition to net zero carbon buildings.  This event will highlight respective progress to date and consider how public-private collaboration can accelerate implementation in the transition to net zero carbon.

Focusing on Metro Manila, Philippines, this webinar will explore specific regional challenges for building decarbonisation while sharing learnings that can be applied to cities and businesses globally making similar commitments for the transition to net zero carbon buildings such as through the WorldGBC Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment and C40 Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator. Quezon City, a C40 city and the largest city within the Metro Manila region, will share its progress and plans for transitioning to net zero carbon through the city’s recently developed green building code.

NEO is a leading owner, developer, and manager of certified green and net zero office buildings in the Philippines and they will share their decarbonisation journey and how they are advocating for wider emissions reduction within their supply chain.

The Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC) is dedicated to the sharing of knowledge on green building practices – promoting buildings, districts and cities to be environmentally responsible, profitable, safe and healthy places to live, work and play.

The collaborative efforts of these organisations show how they can work together to achieve shared sustainability goals and the role of building decarbonisation policy in shaping business strategies and development initiatives.

Climate Innovation Forum
2025-06-25 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
WorldGBC is proud to be partnering with Climate Action, hosts of the Climate Innovation Forum (#CIF25), 25 June 2025, and a flagship event of London Climate Action Week 2025.

Focusing on the practical steps needed to keep 1.5°C alive, #CIF25 is bringing together over 2,000 business leaders, policy makers, investors and civil society representatives to accelerate our collective efforts in driving climate action. Discussions will include unblocking delivery barriers, getting investment flowing where it’s needed, and sharing best practice that can be replicated at speed and scale.

Apply now to book your place and be part of this global community.

Better buildings: Action-driven solutions for decarbonisation
2025-06-24 14:30 - 17:30 UTC | Buro Happold, The Featherstone Building, 66 City Rd, London EC1Y 2AL, United Kingdom, London, United Kingdom
The built environment accounts for nearly 40% of global CO₂ emissions—making it central to climate action. As countries update their climate pledges ahead of COP30, this moment is critical to closing the gap to 1.5ºC.

This session spotlights bold actions from governments and industry driving a resilient, decarbonised built environment. We’ll showcase global best practices, including the UK’s updated NDC, and hear from leaders transforming their asset portfolios.

Echoing Ambassador André Corrêa do Lago’s call for real-world impact, the panel will explore what’s working, what’s next, and how the sector can fully deliver on the Paris Agreement.

WorldGBC: NDCs Building Local Impact Webinar
2025-06-24 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
WorldGBC invites you to the inaugural webinar in our #BeBoldOnBuildings COP30 series: NDCs Building Local Impact.

This year’s COP30 in Belém, Brazil, will be a critical inflection point for global climate action as countries update Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). In this webinar we will uncover the gaps and opportunities for policymakers and industry to #BeBoldOnBuildings; and officially launch our new ‘NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings’ — a tool which enables governments to analyse, align and action bolder building policies ahead of COP30.

About the NDC Scorecard

Most countries’ NDCs and policies are not ambitious or detailed enough when it comes to the built environment. Whilst 81% of NDCs reference buildings, only 18% include quantified targets and just 16% outline funding strategies.

Our NDC Scorecard tool addresses these issues whilst supporting governments and key stakeholders by: highlighting the gaps, identifying action areas, supporting advocacy engagement, and preparing political actors to develop wider decarbonisation roadmaps.

Speakers

We are delighted to be joined by keynote speaker Antonio Francisco da Costa e Silva Neto, Ambassador from the Office of the Minister of Cities in Brazil, to share insights on the built environment ahead of COP30.

We will also hear from government officials and Green Building Council implementers in Brazil and the United Arab Emirates to discuss what a strong outcome for the built environment at COP30 looks like, and the role NDCs play.

Agenda:

Keynote speech from Antonio Francisco da Costa e Silva Neto, Ambassador, Chief International Advisor, Office of the Minister of Cities, Brazil

WorldGBC NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings launch and live demo

Panel discussion diving into international and country-level NDC, policy and community implementation in the lead-up to COP30:

Antonio Francisco da Costa e Silva Neto, Ambassador, Chief International Advisor, Office of the Minister of Cities, Brazil

Felipe Faria, CEO, GBC Brasil

Carlos Andres Amaya, Programs Development & Oversight Section Head, UAE Government

Q&A

INDICATE LIFE Whole Life Carbon Network Event
2025-06-04 13:30 - 17:30 (Atlantic/Azores) | 60 Rue Ravenstein 1000 Bruxelles Belgium, 60 Rue Ravenstein 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium, Belgium
As a key contributor to the advancement of WLC data and policy, we are delighted to invite you to the first Whole Life Carbon (WLC) Network Event on June 4th in Brussels. ​​

The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of all global carbon emissions. In order to align with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement goals and reach climate neutrality by 2050, Europe must act now in reducing whole life carbon (WLC) emissions across Europe’s built environment. Addressing the WLC emissions includes tackling both operational and embodied carbon. ​​​

As a platform for sharing insights and knowledge on WLC policies the Network Event will: ​​

Explore the European policy context ​​

Share insights and learnings from INDICATE on developing the foundation for WLC Policy​​

Explore further levers to reduce WLC (“looking beyond”)​​

Discuss WLC Policy implementation to decarbonise the European built environment and how to overcome key barriers. ​​

Be a forum for networking and sharing learnings among academia, industry, government and EU policy makers​.

Register now to secure your spot – please note there is limited capacity at the event. Priority will be given to professionals active in the European built environment, at the discretion of the organisers.

Retrofitting buildings: Lessons from a global network
2025-05-15 12:00 - 13:00 UTC
For the built environment sector to reach global climate goals, retrofitting buildings is a big part of the solution. It can provide profitable and scalable solutions, which improve energy performance, usability and resilience — as well as buildings which users can thrive in.

On 15 May 2025, WorldGBC is proud to host an online accelerator session as part of the World Circular Economy Forum 2025, joined by Green Building Councils (GBCs) from across the network, to discuss examples in action of:

– How retrofitting and renovation can support decarbonisation and resource efficiency – as well as the potential trade-offs. – Leadership in action from GBCs across WorldGBC’s Americas Regional Network. – Lessons learned from global stakeholders.

Find out more here.

Find out more about our work in resources and circularity at Resources and circularity – World Green Building Council

Surviving EU Taxonomy: Real Estate Compliance Made Simple
2025-03-12 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Paris) | Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
Feeling overwhelmed by EU Taxonomy and reporting rules? This session cuts through the noise, simplifying what you must know to stay compliant and accountable amid a 155% increase in regulations in the past decade. Get clear guidance on SFDR, CSRD, and the essentials of sustainable finance—all in one hour, no jargon, just clarity.

Green returns: the state of sustainability ROI in 2025
2025-03-12 10:00 - 10:45 (Europe/Paris) | London Stand Stage – C14, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France, Cannes, France
Capital outlay on sustainable development, acquisition of high-performance buildings, or retrofit efficiency improvement for existing assets has always required a careful assessment of return on investment. Returns often need to be totted up both in direct financial terms and in carbon savings delivered against capital employed – given that even the most environmentally conscious building owners and investors must typically weigh up competing options.

This panel debate will assess how investment decision-making priorities have changed over recent years, as both technology and business thinking have matured, and where things might head in the foreseeable future. It will assess the role of green-linked funding, tax breaks and grant schemes for the property sector, and the potential penalties and pitfalls presented by regulation and loss of asset value looming in the future.

Global Stocktake: Where are we on the Road to Zero?
2025-03-11 14:00 - 15:00 (Europe/Paris) | Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France, Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
Get the latest insights on global progress, trends in real estate decarbonisation and insights from international climate negotiations. You will be invited to share your perspective on the Road to Zero and interact with industry leaders.

Buildings in the NDCs: A Practical Guide for 2025 Revisions
2025-02-13 16:00 - 17:30, 2025-02-11 09:00 - 10:30 UTC
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) and Partnership for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) are jointly hosting a webinar in partnership with World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), to disseminate knowledge from their recently released practical guide, “NDCs for Buildings“, designed to equip policymakers, planners, and practitioners with a comprehensive framework to integrate ambitious climate actions within the buildings and construction sectors of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

ETC webinar: Achieving Zero Carbon Buidlings
2025-02-11 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | Online
To mark the launch of the ETC’s latest report, Achieving Zero-Carbon Buildings: Electric, Efficient and Flexible, we are hosting a webinar, in partnership with Arup on Tuesday February 11th at 12:00 – 13:15 GMT.During this panel, you’ll hear global leaders in energy, engineering and policy discuss the cross-sector action needed to accelerate progress in decarbonising both new and existing global buildings.Our panellists will explore key questions:What is needed to tip the dial this decade on the electrification of building heating and uptake of low-cost insulation?How can electrified buildings be an asset within a clean energy system?How can we meet rising demand for cooling with efficient air conditioning and better building design?What is the opportunity to reduce the embodied carbon of new buildings through material decarbonisation and building better?

Conversations on Climate: Ambition, Action, and Inclusion for Water
2025-01-22 14:30 - 18:00 UTC
Join us for ‘Conversations on Climate: Ambition, Action, and Inclusion for Water,’ a global online series that brings together leading experts to tackle the challenges of our time. Explore innovative strategies, amplify ambitious solutions, and dive into inclusive pathways toward a sustainable and water focused future.You’ll hear from an inspiring line-up of speakers, including Catherine Burns (Managing Director, The Nature Conservancy), Rita Zaghloul (Director, High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, and Earthshot Prize winner), Natali Ghawi (Health, Equity and Resilience Manager, World Green Building Council) and more. These thought leaders will share diverse perspectives and expertise on pivotal topics such as water credits, innovative climate solutions, and the intersection of sustainability and inclusivity.

COP29: Accelerating the Buildings Breakthrough: Tools and Solutions for Addressing Whole Life Carbon, Circularity, and Shifting to Bio-based Materials
2024-11-19 11:30 - 12:15 (Europe/Helsinki) | Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, Blue Zone, Baku, Azerbaijan

COP29: Why NDCs Need Bold Action on Buildings and Cooling
2024-11-18 16:00 - 17:30 (Europe/Helsinki) | Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, Blue Zone, Baku, Azerbaijan

2030 on the Horizon — World Climate Summit
2024-11-17 09:00 - 10:00 UTC
World Climate Foundation

Convention Centre, Baku

COP29: Transforming real estate and advancing sustainability in the built environment
2024-11-16 14:00 - 14:45 (Europe/Helsinki) | Blue Zone, Heydar Aliyev, 323, Baku, Azerbaijan, Baku, Azerbaijan

COP29: Roadmaps: Frameworks to Implement Innovation Towards Built Environment Decarbonisation & Addressing Cement
2024-11-16 10:00 - 11:30 (Asia/Dubai) | Buildings and Cooling Pavilion, Blue Zone, Baku, Azerbaijan
