Raising Climate Ambition in the Global Building Sector

While last month’s COP25 may not have ended with a new level of commitment that would put us on a safe path to meeting the Paris Agreement, I’m still confident that 2020 has the potential for us to make strides towards that goal. Particularly, in view of the much-needed contribution from the global building sector. Summing up a side-event Navigant, a Guidehouse company, hosted at the climate conference, I’d like to share which aspects I deem most vital for seeing the energy performance of buildings improve globally.

Presented in the EU Pavilion at COP, our event was entitled “Implementing Low Carbon Policies in the Buildings Sector: Hurdles and Ways Forward.” It was moderated by my colleague Andreas Hermelink and myself. We were thrilled to have seven high-level speakers on the panel, providing views across different backgrounds and world regions.  

Our panellists included:

• Dave Turk, International Energy Agency (Head of Strategic Initiatives Office)
• Christine Lemaitre, CEO of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB)
• Daouda Ndiaye, Islamic Development Bank, Lead Climate Adaptation Specialist
• Hu Min HU, Climateworks, China advisor, Kigali Cooling Efficiency Programme (K-CEP)
• Rani Al Achkar, Director at the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC)
• Belal Shqarin, Director of the Climate Change Directorate at the Ministry of Environment, Jordan
• Maha Abu Mwais, Royal Scientific Society Jordan, Climate Change Division

In our keynote, we shared findings from three projects across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. These included “Build_ME” and “Cool_ME,” each part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI) funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), and our most recently published EU study on building energy renovation activities and the uptake of nearly zero-energy buildings. The latter was presented as a preview in the context of the EU’s recently published Green Deal.

Build_ME’s full title is “Accelerating zero-emission building sector ambitions in the MENA region.” It covers activities in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. In the first phase of the project, from 2016 to 2018, the main objective was to conduct an extensive market analysis to identify the key barriers for investments into energy efficiency measures in the buildings sector, and from that information draw suitable recommendations for overcoming them. The second phase of the project, from 2019 to 2021, now focuses on the implementation of these recommendations, disseminating results and upscaling.

Cool_ME’s full title is “Scaling up sustainable cooling in the Middle East”. In addition to Build_ME’s Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon it also includes Turkey. Cool_ME’s focus is on reducing emissions resulting from air-conditioning in buildings and commercial refrigeration. This is to be achieved by enabling natural refrigerants and energy efficient solutions to mitigate the rising cooling demand. Therefore, Cool_ME not only aims to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement (through NDCs) but also the Kigali Amendment. To achieve this, the project will also develop financial models to boost the cooling transition.

The third project presented insights from the European, “Comprehensive study of building energy renovation activities and the uptake of nearly zero-energy buildings in the EU.” Within the project, three large scale surveys with private households, architects, and installers were conducted in each of the 28 EU member states. The aim was a statistically sound assessment of renovation rates, achieved primary energy savings and spent investments in energy renovations of residential and non-residential buildings. Being the first project of this kind in Europe, the study not only quantified achieved renovation rates, but also provided detailed insights into drivers and barriers for energy renovations in the EU. As a result, the project provides new and relevant information for evolving the legal framework and public policies.

All the projects prove that the very nature of the buildings sector – with its decentralized decision-making for investments – is highly challenging in terms of getting targets implemented. Tangible results on potential barriers, drivers, and solutions are needed to feed a constructive panel discussion, which is what we were able to provide from our large-scale surveys on barriers and drivers to invest in energy efficiency in the MENA region and in Europe. The panellists added very interesting viewpoints and aspects to the set of barriers and recommendations we had shared.

Below is a selection of panellists’ input:

• A general change in perception and awareness is needed, meaning that so far energy efficiency measures are often communicated to be complicated and expensive.
• Avoid cooling-down of buildings to temperatures between 18-22°C, as this is proven uncomfortable or even unhealthy and energy intensive. Awareness needs to be created for more efficient cooling technologies and reasonable target temperatures.
• Do not just copy or transfer those measures suitable for northern climates to warmer, southern climates. In the light of climate change, northern countries could even learn from construction practices in warmer countries e.g. on how to avoid urban heat islands.
• It is crucial to improve NDCs by including building sector specific targets and measures. Just with appropriate measures, it will be possible to reduce the significant share of global emissions in the building sector that today is responsible for approximately 40% of all emissions.
• It is important to have a clear and robust legal framework, including effective monitoring.
• Good, reliable data is essential for what’s going on in the building stock. So far, policies are too often based on expert guesses and gut feelings.
• Financial support for countries for a transition to climate-friendly pathways should focus on implementing green building codes, making efficient heating and cooling systems affordable, and increasing ambitions for new buildings, which in many developing countries will still make 60-70% of the entire building stock in 2050.
• Access is needed to technologies, that suit the countries’ needs and are also acceptable from a cultural perspective. Especially in developing countries and countries in transition, it is very important to take pathways that consider cultural aspects.
• Invest in education and awareness, as everyone’s support is needed and has a collective responsibility for achieving a climate compatible transition.

Considering the various and concrete actions proposed by Navigant and our panellists, meeting overarching goals set by the Paris Agreement and NDCs still appears to be feasible.