COP28: US Departments to Decarbonise Building Sector

The Department of Housing and Urban Development will work along with the Department of Energy to reduce carbon emissions in the sector

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced a partnership with the Department of Energy (DoE) to decarbonise the US building sector at the UN COP28 climate summit in Dubai. The two departments will work together on domestic efforts to reduce carbon emissions in the building sector and to cut costs for consumers through energy efficiency improvements.

The new initiatives aim to address the challenges posed by the climate crisis and ensure that low- and moderate-income households and communities can benefit from a clean energy transition.

Climate Change Research

HUD also announced that it was joining the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s United States Global Change Research Programme (USGCRP) to guide and contribute to the government’s scientific research on global climate change and ensure that research and data on climate change benefits the people and communities that HUD serves.

The US has also joined the UNEP Buildings Breakthrough initiative in which participating countries endorse the statement “Near-zero emission and resilient buildings are the new normal by 2030”. The Buildings Breakthrough mobilises international collaboration to accelerate the transition of the building sector to zero emissions and resiliency.

“The new partnerships that we are announcing underscore our strong and enduring commitment to energy efficiency and climate resiliency for our nation’s communities, homes, buildings, and infrastructure. It also underscores our commitment to sharing research on climate impacts faced by those most at risk,” said US secretary of housing and urban development Marcia Fudge. “HUD will continue to work closely with the Department of Energy to fortify homes and communities across the country, ensuring they are prepared to response to the challenges posed by the climate crisis through mitigation, adaptation and resilience.”

US secretary of energy Jennifer Granholm added that the announcement reinforces the Biden-Harris Administration’s “whole-of-government effort” to lower costs for working families and ensure the benefits of the transition to a cleaner energy future are fully accessible, especially to those in low-income areas and underserved communities. “This new partnership will allow DoE and HUD to leverage each other’s expertise to deliver on President Biden’s commitment to provide more affordable and healthier housing for Americans while also reducing deadly emissions that fuel the climate crisis.”

HUD is also continuing to implement a climate action plan with the objective of developing an equitable nationwide building decarbonisation framework.