New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) It's high time to improve energy efficiency of the buildings across the globe to reach the climate change goals under the 2015 Paris Agreement, a UN-backed report has said.
More than half of new buildings expected to come up by 2060 will be constructed in the next 20 years -- two-thirds of them in countries that do not have mandatory building energy codes in place.
The buildings and construction sector's energy performance is a must to keep on track the Paris Agreement, which aims to cut carbon emissions in a bid to keep the global average rise in temperatures below two degrees Celsius.
The Global Status Report 2017, from the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, finds the sector continues to grow, with floor area reaching an estimated 235 billion square metres in 2016.
Over the next 40 years, 230 billion square metres of additional buildings will be constructed -- the equivalent of adding the floor area of Japan to the planet every single year to 2060.
Buildings and construction alone account for 39 per cent of energy-related CO2 emissions, when upstream power generation is included.
Between 2010 and 2016, population growth, rising floor area per person and greater demand for energy services all contributed to an increase in new energy demand in buildings equal to all the final energy consumed by Germany during the same period.
"Over the next 40 years, the world is expected to build 230 billion square metres in new construction -- adding the equivalent of Paris to the planet every single week," a statement quoting International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said.
"This rapid growth is not without consequences."
"While the energy intensity of the buildings sector has improved, this has not been enough to offset rising energy demand. Ambitious action is needed without delay to avoid locking in long-lived, inefficient buildings assets for decades to come," Birol added.
The report -- prepared by the International Energy Agency and coordinated by UN Environment -- highlights many opportunities to deploy energy-efficient and low-carbon solutions.
It points to many examples across the globe that show the climate goals can be met with clear and concerted efforts.
"Similar to many areas linked to the Paris Agreement, the building sector is seeing some progress in cutting its emissions, but it is too little, too slowly," UN Environment head Erik Solheim has said.
"Realising the potential of the buildings and construction sector needs all hands on deck -- in particular to address rapid growth in inefficient and carbon-intensive building investments."
The Paris pledges to date still fall short of hitting the annual target of annually reducing 4.9 Gigatonnes of Carbon Dioxide (GtCO2) emissions that could be achieved if countries were to deploy strategic low-carbon and energy-efficient building technology.
CO2 emissions from buildings and construction rose by nearly one per cent per year between 2010 and 2016, releasing 76 GtCO2 in cumulative emissions.
The 30 per cent improvement in the sector's energy intensity would require a near-doubling in the improvement of the current energy performance of buildings to over two per cent each year to 2030, the report says.
This means near-zero energy, zero-emissions buildings need to become the construction standard globally within the next decade.
The rate of building energy renovations also needs to improve from one to two per cent per year to over two to three per cent in the coming decade.
Such retrofits are particularly important in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, where roughly 65 per cent of the total building stock expected by 2060 is already built.
The report points to many examples of buildings that work, such as the zero-energy Edge building in Amsterdam.
The building maximizes the intake of natural light, runs on solar-generated electricity and uses smart technologies such as intelligent ventilation systems that are responsive to sensor data or user commands.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About VDC
Doraiah Chowdary Vundavally is a Software engineer at VTech . He is the news editor of SocialNews.XYZ and Freelance writer-contributes Telugu and English Columns on Films, Politics, and Gossips. He is the primary contributor for South Cinema Section of SocialNews.XYZ. His mission is to help to develop SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgement towards any.