December 14, 2023
(press release)
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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) offered the following statement in response to the adoption of the Global Stocktake outcome at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: “The agreement announced today by the national parties, called the UAE Consensus, takes significant steps to respond to the Global Stocktake, emphasizing the need for urgent action in this critical decade to keep the 1.5 °C goal within reach,” said USGBC president and CEO Peter Templeton. “We are encouraged that the UAE Consensus uses stronger and more specific language in calling for accelerated efforts towards net zero emission energy systems and transitioning away from fossil fuels. For the first time, the agreement calls on countries to contribute to doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements and tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. These express targets will drive needed investment across the building sector which has the opportunity, and now the imperative, to deliver significant reductions of greenhouse gases. The global community and COP28 recognize the nexus of climate and health, the increased emphasis on nature-based solutions, and the meaningful inclusion of subnational governments, building on the parties’ increasingly holistic approach to understanding climate change. USGBC has participated in the annual COP meeting since 2009 in Copenhagen to urge governments to increase ambition in setting greenhouse gas reduction goals, to engage the buildings sector as a critical partner for meeting these commitments, and to highlight the readily available technologies and proven solutions for accelerating progress. USGBC will continue to work with partners in government and the private sector to ramp up tangible action to meet and go beyond these commitments reached at COP28, and to advance a rapid transition that is both holistic and equitable.”
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