13th EmiratesGBC Annual Congress Calls for Decarbonization of Building Sector by 2030
The Emirates Green Building Council (EmiratesGBC) held its 13th Annual Congress, emphasizing the critical role of the built environment in accelerating climate action and achieving sustainability. The two-day event, themed "Beyond COP28: The Role of the Built Environment to Deliver on the UAE Consensus," brought together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, and academics to discuss concrete actions needed to meet key energy and climate commitments.
Held at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, the Congress focused on leveraging the momentum from the breakthrough outcomes of COP28, hosted in the UAE last year. It featured in-depth presentations and panel discussions across five thematic sessions: Actioning COP28 Outcomes, Policies Driving Sustainability in the Built Environment, Green Supply Chain, Accelerating Progress to Net Zero, and Financing the Transition in the Built Environment.
Khaled Bushnaq, Chairman of EmiratesGBC, welcomed attendees, and Elham AlQasim, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Holding, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Honorary President of EmiratesGBC and President and CEO of UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA).
Elham AlQasim highlighted the urgency for the building sector to achieve net-zero targets, noting that 81.4% of the total emissions reduction targeted by 2030 is expected to come from this sector. She emphasized the UAE's commitment to environmental sustainability and the built environment's crucial role in responding to the Global Stocktake. She also underscored the importance of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and reducing resource consumption and waste.
"The building and construction sector consumes nearly half of the world's raw materials while contributing almost 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions and solid waste. However, it also has an opportunity to close the gap to 1.5°C through an energy-efficient, regenerative, and just transition," she said.
Khaled Bushnaq reiterated the need for innovative design strategies, updated building codes, and green finance mechanisms to propel the green building agenda in the UAE. He called for exploring retrofitting and green finance to reduce existing vulnerabilities in Arab cities and improve local resilience.
Speakers at the Congress highlighted the UAE's "pro-climate, pro-growth" strategy and its targets under the Third Update of the Second Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), aiming for a 40% emission reduction by 2030. The building sector, responsible for 27% of the UAE's greenhouse gas emissions as of 2019, presents an opportunity for a 56% reduction in emissions by 2030, crucial for meeting the UAE's net-zero targets for 2050 under the Paris Agreement.
The Congress also emphasized the importance of effective building policies, sustainable practices, green finance, and performance data in creating a resilient sector. Speakers reflected on the UAE Sustainable Built Environment Blueprint Report's five key enablers: Policies and regulations, Building materials and systems, Finance, Data, and Skills.
