UN and France organize a forum to decarbonize the construction sector March 7, 2024

The construction sector is responsible for a fifth of global emissions (Daniel LEAL)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

France and the United Nations Environment Programme are organizing a two-day conference starting on Thursday to find ways to reduce the considerable carbon footprint of the construction sector, one of the main contributors to climate change.

Around 2,000 government officials, diplomats, industry representatives and members of civil society from 50 countries are gathering in Paris for the Global Buildings and Climate Forum.

Global greenhouse gas emissions from the building and construction sector continue to rise, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.

"The sector is not on track to decarbonize by 2050," said the ministry.

"It is therefore crucial to fundamentally rethink the way we build and use our buildings to ensure that national climate policies succeed and that the Paris Climate Agreement is respected," it said.

The UN says the world must reach net-zero emissions by 2050 to meet the Paris Agreement's ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Following the UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai, the Paris forum is expected to produce a joint declaration that has been negotiated for months.

The buildings and construction sector is responsible for a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The forum is being attended by government officials from the United States and China, the world's leading economies and emitters of greenhouse gases.

The event also brings together architects, engineers and real estate developers, among others, along with international organizations.

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