EmiratesGBC Promotes Built Environment Solutions At COP28

At the ongoing summit in Dubai, the private organisation is hosting several sessions to underline the importance of the sector to attain net zero

Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC), an independent organisation that promotes and educates on green issues in the built environment, is hosting a series of informative and networking sessions featuring dynamic speakers at the 28th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP28) to showcase how increased ambition and acceleration of built environment solutions can get climate action on track.

At Expo City Dubai where COP28 is being held till December 12, EmiratesGBC will host sustainability experts, construction sector professionals, and other industry stakeholders to raise awareness and discuss the systemic changes required to decarbonise the built environment and ensure the delivery of a just, equitable energy transition. Positioning the built environment as a critical sector to achieve climate adaptation and mitigation goals, the sessions will explore integrated sustainability solutions that address whole life carbon emissions of existing and new buildings, enable resilient, healthy, equitable and inclusive places, and secure resource efficient and waste-free infrastructure.

As a member of WorldGBC, a global network of Green Building Councils leading the transformation of the built environment in 75+ countries, EmiratesGBC will connect ambition with action, and policy with implementation to lead the transformation to decarbonised, resilient and circular built environments in the UAE and the wider Middle East region. The activities at COP28 will highlight how, despite being responsible for almost 40% of global energy-related carbon emissions and 50% of extracted materials, the built environment can be part of the solution to accelerate the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With roughly 83 million people being added to the world’s population every year, the global population expected to rise to 9.8 billion by 2050, the world’s build stock is set to double to meet this increased demand. In addition, the longevity of built infrastructures, heating and cooling systems, and other high-energy appliances such as air-conditioners, have a significant impact on the design and purchasing decisions made today and will be critical in shaping energy use in the years ahead. Against this backdrop, EmiratesGBC will explore how new technologies, innovative materials, and policies can transform the industry by delivering significant energy and cost savings and other benefits, making net-zero targets achievable.

HE Dr Ali Al Jassim, Chairman, EmiratesGBC, said, “Mitigation and adaptation measures are needed across the building value chain to put the sector on track with the net zero emissions by 2050. COP28 presents an opportunity to strengthen existing measures and prioritise performance-based, mandatory building energy codes alongside updated certification criteria to move the buildings and construction sector onto a low-carbon pathway. At COP28, we look forward to emphasising the urgent need to integrate decarbonisation and energy efficiency in investment strategies, implement materials strategies to reduce lifecycle carbon emissions, and use science-based targets to guide actions to push the industry to go further.”

Among the key panel sessions to be hosted at COP28 are: ‘Building a greener future: Crafting the blueprint for sustainable construction in the Middle East’; ‘Digitalisation: A tool to aid in the transition of the building sector to net zero’; ‘Sustainability at the crossroads: Retrofitting challenges and opportunities in the UAE’; and ‘Breaking Ground: Women pioneering sustainability in water, waste, materials, energy, and finance for the green built future’.

Experts will also discuss the role of green finance in creating a more sustainable built environment, and dive deep into the challenges and opportunities that come about from enhancing accessibility to climate finance. The panel sessions will also look at how stronger policy support such as minimum performance standards and building energy codes can set the buildings sector on track with the 2050 net-zero ambitions. An EmiratesGBC-led workshop will target youth to raise awareness, build capacities of the new generation, and promote their participation in climate action while at other sessions, speakers will share best practices, technologies and solutions that enhance sustainability, performance and quality of life throughout the built environment.