CLIMATE CHANGE & SUSTAINABILITY
BUILDING
A BETTER
WORLD –
IN CHINA &
BEYOND
PETER BAKKER
President and CEO,
WBCSD
By 2050, 70% of the world’s population
will live in cities, meaning that over the
next three decades, cities will need to
accommodate more than 2.5 billion
additional people. How can the building
and construction sector meet this new
demand while accelerating the transition
to a sustainable world?
Buildings have a critical role to play in
addressing climate change. They are
responsible for one-third of final energy
use worldwide, and over 20% of man-
made CO2 emissions. By 2050 cities
could account for more than 50% of global
emissions as rapid urbanization continues.
China’s urbanization has significantly
increased energy consumption especially
in buildings. The country is projected
to see a 160% increase in building
energy use by 2050. This equates
nearly to 300 additional coal-fired power
stations. Urbanization in China will lead
to increasing impacts on air quality and
national energy security. Energy efficiency
in buildings must be scaled up as part of
the solution to these issues.
Win-win for climate, business and society
The International Energy Agency
(IEA) estimates that the buildings and
construction sector will need to reduce
104
its CO2 emissions by over 80% by
2050 in order to achieve the Paris
Agreement. However, given that we
need to decarbonize existing buildings
and deliver infrastructure to house the
world’s growing urban population, this
target must be closer to 100%.
This clearly is a challenge, but it is
surmountable. To do so, we must learn
to construct zero-emission buildings,
even at the bottom of the pyramid.
Reducing energy consumption in
buildings through increased energy
efficiency is already possible and
practical. There are existing financially
advantageous building practices and
technological solutions for building
design, construction and operations
that ultimately use less energy to heat,
cool, ventilate, light and control. Using
today’s best practices and technologies,
projected energy use in buildings in
2030 can be reduced by 50%.
The recently launched New Climate
Economy 2015 report “Better Growth,
Better Climate,” illustrates that cities
stand to gain from adopting efficient
forms of development: greater economic
productivity and appeal to investors,
improved air quality and public health,
reduced poverty and enhanced safety,