Given the huge contribution the built environment makes to global energy-related CO2 emissions (experts put the contribution at an eye watering 40%), it was unsurprising that there was a clear focus at COP28 on how emissions in the built environment sector should be tackled.

Day 7 saw the official launch of the Buildings Breakthrough and the Cement and Concrete Breakthrough, part of the broader suite of breakthroughs from COP 26 and COP27, which require governments "to finance solutions that are critical to healthier, more sustainable and more equitable human settlements."

The Buildings Breakthrough, set out global aspirations to make "near-zero and resilient buildings the new normal by 2030," a pledge signed by 20 plus countries, including the UK.

The target will require international collaboration on a large scale and encourages countries to consider whole lifecycle approaches to both new and existing buildings and to foster changes within construction practices to ensure our built environment is more resilient to climate change.

The Cement and Concrete Breakthrough, endorsed by the UK, targets the establishment and growth of near-zero emission cement production in every region of the world by 2030, with the aim to eventually make clean cement the norm in the global construction sector.

We also saw commitments to advancing policies which would support an increase in the use of sustainable timber in the built environment and to reduce cooling-related emissions.

The COP28 press release states that these measures "offer national governments and other stakeholders a framework to rapidly transform the building sector with greater mitigation, adaptation, and resilience" and we look forward to seeing how the UK government will rise to this challenge. In that regard, it is notable that the UK government has recently been criticised by the UK Green Building Council for taking the "least ambitious option" in the recent Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation which opened on 13 December 2023 and it will be interesting to see whether there will be any advancement published with the consultation response. The property sector will require clear guidance and regulation to enable these targets to be achieved and we are keen to continue to work with the sector to help them understand the requirements and to succeed in meeting these aims. The latest Future Homes consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes on 6 March 2024.

You can read more about COP28 outcomes in our DACB article which highlights our key takeaways across the board, including comments from colleagues around the globe.