A net-zero carbon future cannot happen without decarbonising buildings, since buildings and the construction sector account for nearly 40% of energy-related global CO2 emissions. The OECD project “Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions” aims to identify best practices and challenges for both national and subnational governments in driving the decarbonisation of buildings. The project has started in 2021 with a multi-level governance framework to guide building policies, including energy efficient retrofits, installing high performance equipment and promoting renewable energy. Besides saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions, decarbonising buildings also brings multiple benefits such as reducing energy bills, improving health and creating green jobs. Using the framework as a foundation, the project provides more specific place-based analysis taking into account regional differences. The project can provide analysis of current bottlenecks in scaling up decarbonising measures and propose recommendations for both national and subnational policy makers.
Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions
Implementing a place-based approach to decarbonise buildings is key to developing sustainable, inclusive and resilient cities and regions.
About Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions
Our mission
The OECD Programme Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions supports local, regional and national governments to design urban policies that enhance the implementation of decarbonisation measures in the built environment through:
Developing self-assessment tools to help policy makers to design appropriate policies and identifying implementation opportunities and barriers.
Providing peer-learning opportunities and targeted policy recommendations to support local and national efforts to develop place-based building decarbonisation policies.
Programme outputs
How can we rapidly transform the global building sector to combat climate change? This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the endeavours undertaken by 28 countries across continents to decarbonise and bolster the resilience of their buildings. By examining policy objectives, measures, and trends, the report offers valuable insights into how countries are developing effective strategies for decarbonising buildings.
OECD Global Survey on Buildings and Climate (2024)
The OECD Global Survey on Buildings and Climate provided key insights on the global status of policies related to decarbonising buildings and building energy efficiency. The survey was launched in September 2023, and 28 countries have participated to date. The participating countries are Belgium (Flanders), Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The results of the survey were summarised in the Policy Highlights and 28 Country Profiles, which contributed to the Buildings and Climate Global Forum held in March 2024.
Policy highlights
The Policy Highlights offer a comprehensive summary of key findings from the OECD Global Survey on Buildings and Climate (2024).
Country Profiles
The OECD Country Profiles provide a snapshot of baseline data on buildings, energy, and emissions, as well as the policy goals, policy instruments, and multi-level governance for decarbonising buildings.
Based on a city survey carried out across 26 local governments, key findings from this report call on national and local governments joining up their efforts to take place-based measures. This paper is the first case study applying the policy framework presented in the OECD report Decarbonising Buildings in Cities and Regions published in March 2022. The present case study provides a deep dive into the Netherlands’ experience to demonstrate the potential of cities and regions to advance the decarbonisation of buildings.
Drawing on the findings of a dedicated survey of cities and regions of all sizes from both OECD and non-OECD countries, this report explains their significant role, explores sub-national policy measures, identifies key obstacles, and provides policy recommendations and a checklist for both national and subnational governments to drive the decarbonisation of buildings in cities and regions.
Related information
Contact
Takeshi MIYAMORI, Senior Manager, Sustainable Buildings Unit
Ji Soo YOON, Policy Analyst, Sustainable Buildings Unit
Marie HANAGATA, Policy Analyst, Sustainable Buildings Unit
Connaught LEE, Junior Policy Analyst, Sustainable Buildings Unit