At COP21 in Paris, the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) was launched to gather building and construction stakeholders including national governments, professional associations, initiatives and many more to facilitate the transition towards low-carbon, energy efficient, and resilient buildings.
Significant milestones have been achieved in the building sector since the launch of the GABC:
• Several countries have made progress in designing and implementing new building regulations. They also introduced labels such as the French low carbon building label.
• Regarding initiatives, the Building Efficiency Accelerator, which forms part of the global Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) initiative, provided increasing support for cities; the GABC itself produced its first Global Roadmap and Global Status Report 2016.
• Near zero energy/net zero emission buildings are increasingly attracting attention. The World Green Building Council (WGBC) alongside the Local Green Building Councils launched a campaign in June 2016 for Advancing Net Zero worldwide.
• On financing of energy efficiency in buildings, several actions can be highlighted: the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will finance a European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) jumbo project for buildings located in European neighbourhood countries. Moreover, a Franco-German initiative aiming at financing energy efficiency in buildings at global scale will be launched. This initiative is calling for a multi-country and multi-partner cooperation for technical assistance and innovation at global scale.
During the Buildings Day on 10 November 2016, much additional information on progress in the buildings and construction sector was showcased. A meeting gathering GABC building professionals and member countries was also organised on 9 November 2016.
Frédéric Auclair – GABC coordinator
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