After COP27... The only thing that hasn't changed is the fact that the climate is changing.

The weather is going extremely well.?Where am I? Istanbul, sometimes Los Angeles and some days in any city....?Despite the higher temperatures we are facing for winter months, I don't feel good at all, because I know so much about climate change. As our famous poet said, the beautiful weather will ruin us... Unfortunately, timeless good weather is one of the many dualities of climate change.?The month of November-December, which is increasingly reminiscent of the spring months, is actually the footsteps of an approaching disaster...

This year, we can say that the main agendas of the COP27 summit, which is hosted by the United Nations (UN) with the slogan "Together for Implementation" and referred to as the African COP, pushed two points. One of these two points was the loss loss mechanism, which is an important bend in the global climate crisis compensations debate, while the other, which concerns us much more closely, was Turkey's National Contribution Statement (NDC; commitment to national contribution to the global emissions reduction effort), that is, the climate goal.??I think the most important difference of this year's COP summit from past summits was that the speeches at the COP were influenced by the sense that the effects were real, and everyone there was talking about the fact that the effects of climate change were now obvious.

Countries agreed to the final agreement at the COP27 climate summit, which creates a fund to help poor countries suffering from climate disasters, but does not increase efforts to combat the emissions that cause them. The plan is part of one of 60 decisions that are part of the?Sharm-el-Sheike Implementation Plan.

In this article, I would like to examine the issues related to the construction sector. Over 37% of global energy-related CO2 emissions are generated by the built environment. In 2021, operational CO2 emissions from the buildings sector were 5% higher compared to 2020, and 2% higher than the previous peak in 2019.?

There was an increase in discourse about creating nature-based solutions (NbS).?To create a strong justification for this, it was underlined that all life cycles from concept planning to design and implementation, operations and maintenance should be taken into account. Success across all structures can be achieved by focusing on the planning, delivery, and management of NbS, with a focus on implementing hybrid solutions and their long-term operation and maintenance.

Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are essentially action plans put forward by countries to outline how they will achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.?What is currently accounted for NDCs would also keep global warming at 2.4°C, ?even if it could be implemented.?For this reason, it was announced that more ambitious targets should be set for NDCs. According to GlobalABC's latest report, only 26% of countries have mandatory codes for the entire building sector. Countries should rally around the potential in the built environment and deliver revised NDCs that recognize the power of mandatory building codes in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.

In addition to the buildings breakthrough, 13 startups/foundations have announced their support to be listed as leading startups: the WBCSD Built Environment Transformation Program; Advancing the WorldGBC Net Zero Net Zero Carbon Building Commitment; WorldGBC BuildingLife Program; Energy Efficiency in Buildings Program (PEEB/GIZ); WRI Zero Carbon Building Accelerator; WRI Building Efficiency Accelerator; C40 Custom Building Efficiency (PBE) and C40 New Building Efficiency (NBE) networks and related Net Zero Building Accelerator, including the Clean Construction Accelerator; GlobalABC market transformation Workspace; Clean Heat

Some of the initiatives I want to underline especially for decarbonization are:

·??????Launched before COP27 in collaboration with the United Nations (UN) Top Climate Champions and C40 Cities, the World GBC Guide to Climate Resilience and Adaptation in the built environment?provides actionable principles for the implementation of climate resilience and adaptation strategies across the built environment value chain.

·??????The percentage of construction companies by revenue participating in Race to Zero has doubled since COP26. Contractors have committed to halving their emissions across all scopes by 2030 at the latest. Construction industry organizations now?generate more than $245 billion (USD) in total revenue linked?to Race to Zero.

2030 Built Environment Breakthrough Outcome:?The UN High-Level Climate Champions built on this initative?for the built environment by launching a series of near-term way-point actions needed across all levers for systems change from supply to demand to policy implementation.?

An agenda published by the WBCSD laid out interventions to accelerate the global decarbonisation of business, support business leaders, work closely with governments, sharpen accountability, increase ambition and deliver swift and scaled actions.?The two priority areas of action for this initiative are:

1. Decarbonisation and resilience development at national and local scales and roadmaps addressing energy performance and all life cycle emissions for new and old buildings.

2. Putting all life carbon at the heart of decarbonisation strategies and decisions.

It is imperative for all countries to take some of the key initiatives announced at COP27, including the call from France and Morocco at COP 27 for a BUILDINGS BREAKTHROUGH from France and Morocco to 'make near-zero emissions and durable buildings the new normal by 2030'.?It seems essential to strengthen international cooperation on the decarbonisation of high-emission sectors.

Resilient related initatives :

Buildings Breakthrough: a country commitment

WorldGBC Guide to Climate Resilience and Adaptation in the Built Environment

Roof Over Our Heads

Finance related initatives :

Paris Aligned Asset Owners?

Asset Managers in the Race to Zero

Africa related initatives :

Africa Manifesto for Sustainable Cities and the Built Environment

African Alliance for Sustainable Cities and Built Environments

COP26 and COP27 put the built environment back on the agenda in the global climate debate. Building and construction sector stakeholders have demonstrated good examples and shown that they are not idle to achieve the goals – solutions already exist to decarbonise and create fair, resilient built environments – it became clear that we just need to move forward with a determination to scale.

Construction is on the rise around the world and the construction industry must work collectively and with all stakeholders?to decarbonise the sector by 2050. Construction must proceed in accordance with the Paris Agreement. Therefore, policymakers at all levels of governance must implement effective policy instruments that ensure the necessary emission reductions while achieving the goals of a sustainable and resilient building and construction sector. Decision-makers in industry and finance must embrace the transformation of their sectors and invest in innovation, products and services that accelerate decarbonisation. The participation of civil society will be crucial to supporting the necessary change.

COP27 has once again underlined that resilience and sustainability are the cornerstone of every decision in the life cycle.?He focused on all life carbon and revealed that reducing embedded carbon is just as important as reducing operational carbon.

21 The European country has announced that it will come out of coal. In the second week of the summit, Turkey's new climate target was also announced.?For 2030, the reduction emission target from the previously announced increase of 21% has been raised to 41%. The year in which Turkey's announced emissions peaked – 2038.

More than 150 countries have signed a global agreement to reduce methane emissions. A commitment to reduce emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, by 30% by 2030 is seen as critical to global efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This is the first time water has been referenced in a COP outcome document, emphasising its critical role in climate change adaptation.

The rest of my article can be read in?"Sustainable Production" Magazine.

https://www.surdurulebiliruretim.com/author/duygu-erten/