Buildings and Climate Change: Status, Challenges and Opportunities

Worldwide, 30-40% of all primary energy is used in buildings. While in high- and middle-income countries this is mostly achieved with fossil fuels, biomass is still the dominant energy source in low-income regions. In different ways, both patterns of energy consumption are environmentally intensive, contributing to global warming. Without proper policy interventions and technological im-provements, these patterns are not expected to change in the near future.

On the global level, knowledge regarding the energy use of building stocks is still lagging behind. Generally spea-king, the residential sector accounts for the major part of the energy consumed in buildings; in developing countries the share can be over 90 percent. Nevertheless, the energy consumption in non-residential buildings, such as offices and public buildings and hospitals, is also significant.

This report, produced by the United Nations’ Environment Programme, offers recommendations for making buildings worldwide more efficient and reduce their impacts on the planet. The report covers the lifecycle of buildings, from design to construction materials to upgrading already existing structures and incorporating energy efficiency measures.