Despite an increase in energy efficiency investment and lower energy intensity, the building and construction sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions have rebounded from the Covid-19 pandemic to an all-time high, a new report finds.
Released at the latest round of the UN COP27 climate summit in Egypt, the 2022 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction finds that the sector accounted for over 34 per cent of energy demand and around 37 per cent of energy and process-related CO2 emissions in 2021.
The sector’s operational energy-related CO2 emissions reached 10 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent — 5 per cent over 2020 levels and 2 per cent over the pre-pandemic peak in 2019.
