- 70 countries have agreed on the Chaillot Declaration, a commitment to deliver buildings decarbonisation and drive finance to green and resilient buildings in line with the Paris Agreement.
- Under the framework of the G20, hosted by Brazil this year, the Brazilian Minister for Cities has announced their support for a working group to address the decarbonisation of the buildings and real estate sector, representing a major step in elevating this issue at the political level.
Story
More than 70 governments gathered in Paris last week to agree on the Chaillot Declaration, a commitment to deliver buildings decarbonisation and drive finance to green and resilient buildings in line with the Paris Agreement. The Chaillot Declaration, agreed upon by ministers from the buildings and construction sectors during the first-ever Buildings and Climate Global Forum, was shepherded by the Government of France and the UN Environment Program.
Alongside the Chaillot Declaration, the Forum sparked the announcement of the Buildings Breakthrough priority actions, following the formal launch of the Breakthrough at COP28 in UAE, and a new intergovernmental process which will take forward the political dialogue on buildings and finance at Ministerial level.
Governments recognise – as made clear in the latest Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC) Global Stocktake Report – that the buildings sector is lagging in achieving its targets. With 55% of global wealth in buildings and almost 40% of energy related emissions, governments are moving to grapple with the climate and transition risks of sluggish progress in the buildings sector which increase the likelihood of macroeconomic instability. To address this urgency for greater action, in complement to the Chaillot Declaration, the Brazilian Minister for Cities has announced their intention to bring to the G20 a working group on buildings and real estate and to host a Ministerial on buildings and construction during COP30 in Belem, Brazil in 2025, creating further political momentum behind this agenda.
Buildings will play a fundamental role in delivering success at COP30. There, the next round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement will reflect countries’ ambitions for emissions reductions up to 2035. Buildings are reflected in only 53 of the current NDCs. This number must grow, and decarbonisation ambition must deepen to align with the pathway to climate neutrality and build resilience.
Accelerating buildings action will also underpin delivery of the global energy goals agreed at COP28 in Dubai, the Sustainable Development Goals, and get the sector on track for the Buildings Breakthrough target of near zero and resilient buildings by 2030. The Buildings and Climate Global Forum makes clear that, globally, political leaders must rise to the challenge of a twofold task to achieve these goals: end finance for inefficient and unadapted buildings and drive investment to highly efficient, near zero, and resilient buildings.
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Larissa Gross, Programme Lead, Place-based Transitions at E3G said:
“The Chaillot Declaration is a welcome commitment from governments to dramatically improve action on buildings decarbonisation – not only for climate but for their citizens’ wellbeing and pocketbooks. The next step is to reflect this ambition in NDCs and put buildings to work in delivering global goals to double efficiency, triple renewables, and accelerate away from fossil fuels by 2030.”
Jurei Yada, Programme Lead, Sustainable Finance at E3G said:
“We are seeing a watershed moment for international cooperation to advance climate action in buildings and construction. The Forum and the Chaillot Declaration have firmly put these sectors on the map for decarbonisation and the necessary financing to achieve it. With Brazil’s support for a dedicated G20 working group, that political momentum can go even farther on the road to COP30.”
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Available for comment
Larissa Gross (EN), E3G Programme Lead, (Sustainable cooling, clean heat, energy efficiency)
m: +44 (0) 7712 537874 | larissa.gross@e3g.org
Jurei Yada (EN, FR, PL, JP), E3G Programme Lead, (EU sustainable finance, ESG, EU regulations including taxonomy)
m: +32 (0)4 92 11 38 68 | jurei.yada@e3g.org
Notes to Editors
- E3G is an independent climate change think tank with a global outlook. We work on the frontier of the climate landscape, tackling the barriers and advancing the solutions to a safe climate. Our goal is to translate climate politics, economics and policies into action. About – E3G
- For further enquiries email press@e3g.org or phone +44 (0)7783 787 863
