UAE Business: Global construction boom to hit 2050 decarbonisation goals, says UN expert – Gulf Digital News

UAE Business: Global construction boom to hit 2050 decarbonisation goals, says UN expert – Gulf Digital News

The global building and construction boom has pushed the sector’s CO2 emissions to an all-time high of 10 gigatonnes and is now 'off track' to meet decarbonisation pledges by 2050, said a top official of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

"Years of warnings about the impacts of climate change have become a reality," said Inger Andersen, the UNEP Executive Director. "If we do not rapidly cut emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, we will be in deeper trouble," he noted.

According to a report from the UN agency, more than 34% of global energy demand in 2021 came from the sector, along with around 37% of 'energy and process-related' CO2 emissions.

Data crunched for the UNEP publication ahead of COP27 climate talks in Egypt, also found that 2021 CO2 emissions were five per cent higher than in 2020 and two per cent more than the pre-pandemic peak in 2019.

This was despite a 16% investment boost for energy-efficient new-builds, to $237 billion, which UNEP explained had been simply 'outpaced' by the growing amount of floor space that is being built.

In 2021, demand for heating, cooling, lighting and equipment in buildings increased by around 4% from 2020 and 3% from 2019, UNEP said, indicating