Annual Meetings & Symposium on Buildings & Climate Change, Washington D.C.

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UNEP SBCI members the US Green Building Council played host to our Annual meetings in Washington DC from 15 – 17 April. Over eighty invited leaders of the building sector worked for two days to refine a ‘Call to Action on Buildings and Climate Change’, a statement that will bring the common voice of the building sector to the delegations negotiating a new global protocol to tackle climate change.

The statement sets out commitments to action that private sector, public authority, municipal, education and research and NGO stakeholders are taking to reduce building-related greenhouse gas emissions. It also asks national delegations to promote the importance of the building sector in the climate negotiations, and include the need for including mechanisms to support the building sector in delivering its potential of significant emission reductions. In particular the call asks all national delegations to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) 15, to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009 to:

1. Include an agenda item at COP15 the need to emphasize the building sector as a top priority that is fundamental to achieving significant greenhouse gas emission reductions.
2. Support the inclusion of measures in the new global climate-change treaty that encourage investments in both new building and building renovation projects that reduce or eliminate emissions.
3. Include in the technology transfer framework/measures, support to capacity building to enable and increase energy efficiency in existing and new buildings.
4. Support the reform of the CDM by encouraging investment in reducing the energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions from building operations.
5. Mandate that the UNFCCC establish working groups to develop specific measures for the building sector prior to the commencement of the next commitment period.
6. Encourage Governments to conduct an inventory of emissions from the national building stock and set targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in existing and new buildings.

On behalf of the members of UNEP SBCI we would like to thank the US GBC for hosting an excellent event. Special thanks to Tom Hicks, Sabrina Morelli and the USGBC Team. Also thanks to Amy Fraenkel and Clayton Adams of the UNEP Regional Office for North America for their support. Finally thank you to our speakers and contributors throughout the event.