The greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of the building and construction sector rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic to hit an all-time high in 2021, despite the industry’s increasing energy efficiency and diminishing energy intensity levels, according to a new report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
Globally, the sector accounted for more than 34% of energy demand and around 37% of energy and process-related CO2 emissions in 2021, found the 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction.
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Operational energy-related CO2 emissions in the sector reached ten gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent – 5% higher than 2020 levels and up 2% from the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Operational energy demand for heating, cooling, lighting and equipment in buildings increased in 2021 by around 4% on 2020 levels and 3% on 2019.
In better news, energy intensity slightly decreased, from 153 kilowatts per hour (kW/h) per square metre in 2015 to 152kW/h in 2021, and investments in building energy efficiency have gone up by unprecedented levels, rising by 16% in 2021 over 2020 levels to $237bn. Nonetheless, the overall emissions increase means that the gap between the sector’s climate performance and the 2050 decarbonisation pathway is widening.
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“Years of warnings about the impacts of climate change have become a reality,” Inger Andersen, UNEP executive director, said in a statement. “If we do not rapidly cut emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, we will be in deeper trouble.
"The buildings sector represents 40% of Europe’s energy demand, 80% of it from fossil fuels. This makes the sector an area for immediate action, investment, and policies to promote short and long-term energy security.”
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