CRCLCL joins first Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction launched at COP21 in Paris

The CRC for Low Carbon Living (CRCLCL) today announced it is a member of the new Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GABC) launched today at the COP21[i] Buildings Day in Paris, where global industry leaders outlined how this major carbon emitting sector – which represents 50 per cent of global wealth – can reduce its footprint.

COP21 CRCLCL representative Dr Peter Graham, Executive Director of the Global Buildings Performance Network and leader of the CRCLCL’s Swinburne University Node of Excellence for Smart Low Carbon Built Environments in Melbourne, said the GABC launch and the CRCLCL’s involvement was a significant outcome of the Paris meetings, both globally and locally.

“The building and construction sector is responsible for 30 per cent of global carbon emissions, which could reach 50 per cent by 2050 if nothing is done. In Australia, the sector contributes 23 per cent of our overall carbon emissions so the formation of this global alliance is a breakthrough.  Importantly, the CRCLCL’s expertise through its many research and industry partnership projects means it plays a key role in helping reduce Australia’s emissions,” said Dr Graham.

“It is also important to point out that this is the first time the COP has introduced an action agenda on the building sector through the Buildings Day meeting, giving us a chance to collaborate on research, policy and action at an international level.”

The IEA[ii] has recognised that if the world is to meet its goal of staying below a two degree global increase in temperature, the building sector’s energy consumption must reduce by at least 30 per cent through new high performance, energy efficient buildings, renewables and retrofitting old buildings.   To do this, numerous collaborations across the sector and globe would be needed, with additional public and private investment of around $US 11,500 billion. However, energy cost savings could exceed this investment by more than 100 per cent by 2050.

Scientia Professor Deo Prasad AO, CRCLCL CEO said this reinforces the importance of the CRC’s projects, which are important to the alliance and have much to contribute.

“Our expertise is multi-disciplinary covering design, planning, policy, sciences, engineering and social behaviour change research including better governance and business models for deploying low carbon buildings, cities and communities.  We are therefore in a strong position to contribute to significant global capacity building, knowledge and tools provision to underpin the mission of the alliance,” said Professor Prasad.    

“In endorsing the formation of a Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction we acknowledge that the buildings and construction sector can contribute significantly to achieving climate goals and the common objective of limiting global warming to below two degrees Celsius,” he said.

Ultimately the GABC constitutes governments, major building and construction networks stakeholders, potential funders and existing support initiatives collectively committed to helping put the buildings and construction sector on the ‘below two degrees Celsius’ path.