CONSTRUCTION COUNTS FOR CLIMATE

Side Event Friday 7 December at 13-15, Grand Hyatt Bali, Room BIOFUEL

Buildings and construction are responsible for on average 40% of the total energy consumption. During the whole life span of buildings, the energy is mainly used for heating, cooling, lighting, hot water production and powering of appliances. Part is also used for building materials production, construction and demolition. The energy required for logistics and mobility in the built environment is not included in these figures.

The potential of the buildings and construction sector to drastically reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases is technically proven but poorly known, and frequently not supported by existing policies and market signals.

This is the urgent concern that is shared both by governments all over the world, and by construction industry and real estate business. In Bali the particular questions are:

Ø How can CDM and other “Kyoto mechanisms” best promote sustainability of the built environment?

Ø What are the steps needed to substantially reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and construction?

In joint effort, representatives of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Buildings and Construction, led by Finland, will highlight critical issues from the points of view of the public as well as the private sectors. The Director of UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), Ms. Sylvie Lemmet will set the scene and experts of the organizing partners will report on recent findings. There is time for discussion after the comment of Ms. Outi Berghäll, Vice Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments.

For more information, please get in touch with

- Kaarin Taipale, Chair of the Marrakech Task Force on Sustainable Buildings and Construction, taipale@hse.fi

- Niclas Svenningsen, Coordinator, UNEP Sustainable Buildings and Construction Initiative, Niclas.Svenningsen@unep.fr

- Christian Kornevall, Project Director, Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB), World Business Council for Sustainable Development; kornevall@wbcsd.org