Ambitious commitments made by Green Building Councils at COP21 ⁰

A total of 25 Green Building Councils from around the world have unveiled commitments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ensure that the building and construction industry plays its part in limiting global warming to 2 degrees. More than 1.25 billion square metres of buildings – almost double the size of Singapore – will be registered, renovated or certified as green building space over the next five years, under ambitious commitments made by Green Building Councils at COP21 in Paris. Green building is one of the most cost-effective solutions to climate change, which generates significant environmental, economic and societal benefits. A new alliance of 16 countries and over 60 organisations, known as the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (which includes WorldGBC, its 74 Green Building Councils and their 27,000 member companies) is now committed to help countries meet their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) through green building.

The commitments include:

• 25 Green Building Councils committing to register, renovate or certify over 1.25 billion square metres of green building space and train over 127,000 qualified green building professionals by 2020.
• All 74 national Green Building Councils supporting the high level commitment from the World Green Building Council (the global network of which they are members) to achieve Net Zero carbon new building and energy efficient refurbishment of the existing building stock by 2050.
• 3 Green Building Councils (Canada, Australia and South Africa) committing to introduce Net Zero certification for buildings.
• More than 125 corporate members of Green Building Councils making bold commitments, including the French product manufacturing giant Saint-Gobain, Australian developer LendLease and Swedish construction firm Skanska.

Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council, said: “While the building sector is a major contributor to climate change, it is an essential part of the solution – and one that brings immediate benefits to economy and society.

“Committing to an area of green buildings twice the size of Singapore over the next five years is just the start – in 10 to 15 years’ time this action will catalyse a green building revolution which will see sustainable buildings become the norm.”

“We know how to build bigger and bigger. The challenge is to build bigger and better. And it is commitments like these that will help to transform the global buildings industry so that not only is a 2 degree world possible tomorrow, but we can realise the benefits from this new way of building – today.”

To see all commitments from GBCs and their corporate members, visit here.