Despite an increase in energy efficiency investment and lower energy intensity, the sector is still seeing record highs in energy consumption and CO2 emissions.
Energy-related emissions from operations reached ten gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent amounting to about five per cent over 2020 levels and two per cent over the pre-pandemic peak in 2019.
In 2021, operational energy demand for heating, cooling, lighting and equipment in buildings increased by around four per cent from 2020 and three per cent from 2019.
Construction is responsible for a huge amount of emissions globally. In 2018, the buildings and construction sector accounted for 36 per cent of energy use and 39 per cent of energy and process-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This includes the manufacture of key materials such as steel, cement and glass.
The UN report found that the gap between the climate performance of the sector and the 2050 decarbonisation pathway is widening.
“Years of...