Pioneering Low-Carbon Buildings for a Just Transition
Summary
In 2024, The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) committed to supporting up to 15 European cities in a paradigm shift for material selection towards low carbon options, and in prioritizing refurbishment for reduced embodied emissions. CNCA will support cities in undertaking the transformative changes needed to identify what gets built where, how projects are chosen and delivered, and how materials are made, recycled, and utilized. CNCA will also provide technical support to help city officials apply justice principles to materials resource management, new construction, and alternatives to demolition, and dive deeper into various implementation aspects for embodied carbon emissions reductions, across multiple projects through research, consultancies, technical tools and stakeholder meetings within the cities. These efforts will encourage key leaders to carefully and comprehensively examine regulations, programs, and practices that affect the built environment’s design, construction, maintenance, repair, replacement, and end-of-life approaches and their impacts on justice.
Approach
The Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) commited to supporting up to 15 European cities in a paradigm shift for material selection towards low carbon options, and in prioritizing refurbishment for reduced embodied emissions. CNCA will support cities in undertaking the transformative changes needed to identify what gets built where, how projects are chosen and delivered, and how materials are made, recycled, and utilized. CNCA will also provide knowledge to help city officials apply justice principles to materials resource management, new construction, and alternatives to demolition.
CNCA will provide technical support to dive deeper into various implementation aspects for embodied carbon emissions reductions, across multiple projects through research, consultancies, technical tools and stakeholder meetings within the cities. CNCA will maximize the technical deep-dives focus potential for peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange by clustering cities based on their needs and priorities.
CNCA will prioritize raising awareness and will work with city officers to ensure their efforts not only decarbonize the built environment, but also address social inequalities and foster inclusive communities. These efforts will encourage key leaders to carefully and comprehensively examine regulations, programs, and practices that affect the built environment’s design, construction, maintenance, repair, replacement, and end-of-life approaches and their impacts on justice. The work will build on the Embodying Justice in the Built Environment published by Cornell University and supported by Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance.
CNCA will support cities participating in the project to unpack these questions through practical implementation in their territories and chart the way forward for cities beyond the project boundaries by sharing their progress and lessons in conferences, webinars, op-eds, and/or publications.
Action Plan
December 2024 – Launch of first technical deep-dive
March 2025 – Launch of second technical deep-dive
June 2025 – Peer-to-peer in-person meeting
October 2025 – Launch of third technical deep-dive
January 2026 – Launch of fourth technical deep-dive
April 2026 – Completion of policy development support of new cities
September 2026 – Storytelling series begin
Background
Cities are expected to add 2.75 billion residents by 2060, causing unprecedented demand for construction. The global building floor area is projected to double by 2060, equivalent to adding a New York City to the world every month for the next 40 years (Architecture 2030) . Carbon emissions from materials and activities associated with building construction, from start to finish must be considered: from manufacture, transport, use and end of life.
Embodied carbon is defined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the amount of GHG emissions associated with upstream—extraction, production, transport, and manufacturing—stages of a product’s life. Considering that buildings are responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, 50% of all materials extracted, 33% of water consumption, and 35% of waste generated according to the World Green Building Council, setting more ambitious embodied carbon targets is crucial for achieving impactful climate goals. By raising targets, cities can drive significant changes in the construction sector and fulfill their environmental commitments. By using materials with a lower carbon footprint and incorporating circular and bio-based insulation materials, the sector can significantly reduce emissions, promote sustainability, enhance biodiversity in urban development, and improve the health of building inhabitants.
Currently, there’s a lack of understanding regarding the carbon footprint of refurbishment projects within the city. Notably, just three materials—concrete, steel, and aluminum—account for 23% of total global emissions, predominantly within the built environment. Extending the life cycle of buildings and prioritizing refurbishment over demolition and new construction helps preserve cultural heritage, reduce waste, and lower the demand for new raw materials. While there is ample guidance on reducing the embodied carbon of new buildings, the potential for carbon reduction through refurbishing existing buildings is often overlooked. This is especially pertinent in Europe, where 85% of buildings are over 20 years old and 85-95% are expected to still be standing in 2050 (European Commission, 2020) .
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
CNCA will team up with expert organizations to bridge the knowledge gap cities face in their implementation projects to decarbonize their built environment., CNCA is providing seed funding that will support policy analysis and data collection on the viability and impact of specific solutions.