A GUIDE FOR INCORPORATING BUILDINGS ACTIONS IN NDCS

A GUIDE FOR INCORPORATING

BUILDINGS ACTIONS IN NDCS

Incorporating fundable buildings sector Green House Gas (GHG) emission mitigation

actions in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

First Edition December 2018

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AUTHOR

Peter Graham - PAN Solutions

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

(GlobalABC) and the United Nations Environment

Programme gratefully acknowledge the financial

support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and

Energy (BMWi) of the Federal Republic of Germany.

SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

Argentine Republic – Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable

Development

Republic of Cameroon – Ministry of Housing and

Urban Development

Mongolia - Ministry of Environment and Tourism

Kingdom of Morocco - Ministry of National Planning,

Urban Planning, Housing and City Policy

United Mexican States – Energy Secretariat & National Housing

Commission

Republic of Senegal - Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable

Development

Republic of Tunisia - Ministry of Housing and Land Use Planning

Citation: United Nations Environment Programme (2018): A GUIDE FOR INCORPORATING BUILDINGS ACTIONS IN NDCs

Job No: DTI/2225/PA

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed are not necessarily those of the GlobalABC

partners. The designations employed and the presentation of the

material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion

whatsoever on the part of the authors, the United Nations Environment

Programme concerning the legal status of any country, territory,

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REVIEWERS

Thibaut Abergel – International Energy Agency (IEA)

Miriam Badino – ICLEI - Local Governments for

Sustainability

Michelle Bosquet – United Nations Environment

Programme (UN Environment)

Brian Dean – International Energy Agency (IEA)

John Dulac – International Energy Agency (IEA)

Stefanie Greil-Duesterhoeft –

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy

(BMWi),

Federal Republic of Germany

Andreas Gruner – Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer

Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)

Regis Meyer – Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive

Transition (MTES), French Republic

Martina Otto – United Nations Environment

Programme (UN Environment)

Yves-Laurent Sapoval - Ministry of Ecological and

Inclusive Transition (MTES), French Republic

Nora Steurer – United Nations Environment

Programme (UN Environment)

Sandra Tacke – Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs

and Energy (BMWi), Federal Republic of Germany

GEOGRAPHICAL DISCLAIMER

The designations employed and the presentation of

material in this publication do not imply the expression

of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United

Nations Environment Programme or the GlobalABC

concerning the legal status of any country, territory or

city or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of

its frontiers or boundaries.

Supported by:

BUILDINGS

CONTENTS

SUMMARY FOR DECISION-MAKERS �� 5

INTRODUCTION 8

TIME LINE FOR NDC SUBMISSIONS ��9

DEFINING AMBITION

�� 10

BEING EFFECTIVE

�� 12

TYPES OF BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS INCLUDED IN CURRENT NDCS

COMMON FORMAT FOR DESCRIBING BUILDINGS SECTOR ACTIONS IN NDCS

STRUCTURE OF THE GUIDE

�� 17

1 - MAPPING 19

MEASURABLE, REPORTABLE & VERIFIABLE (MRV) EMISSIONS BASE-LINES 19

CALCULATING MITIGATION BASE-LINES

�� 19

DEVELOP LOCAL MARKET ACTION PLANS

�� 22

2 - PRIORITISING 24

HIGH IMPACT MITIGATION CRITERIA �� 24

TRANSFORMATIVE & SCALABLE

�� 25

BUILDING ENERGY CODES AND COMPLIMENTARY POLICIES

��26

TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

��27

HIGHEST IMPACT BEHAVIOURAL AND MANAGERIAL ACTIONS

�� 28

HIGH LEVEL OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

�� 29

LOCAL ALLIANCES

�� 30

3 – IMPLEMENTING & MONITORING 32

KEY STRATEGIES FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION 32

KEY STRATEGIES FOR FINANCING IMPLEMENTATION

�� 35

REFERENCES 39

COUNTRY PROFILES

ARGENTINA ��41

CAMEROON

�� 42

MEXICO

�� 43

MONGOLIA

�� 44

MOROCCO

�� 45

SENEGAL

�� 47

TUNISIA

�� 48

BUILDINGS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CMA: Conference of the Parties serving as the

meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement

GBCs: Green Building Councils

GBPN: The Global Buildings Performance Network

GHG: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

GlobalABC: The Global Alliance for Buildings

& Construction

GSR: Global Status Report on Buildings

& Construction

IEA: International Energy Agency

INDC: Intended Nationally Determined Contributions

IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

kWh: Kilowatt-hour

MRV: Measurable Reportable & Verifiable

Analysis or Data

NAMA: Nationally Agreed Mitigation Action

NDC: Nationally Determined Contributions

PEEB: Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings

TEP-A: Technical Examination Processes

for Adaptation

TEP-M: Technical Examination Processes

for Mitigation

UN Environment: The United Nations Environment Programme

UNFCCC: United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change

World GBC: World Green Building Council

WRI: The World Resources Institute

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

SUMMARY FOR DECISION-MAKERS

The buildings sector contributes nearly 40% to global

energy-related annual GHG emissions (IEA/UNEP, 2018).

Final energy demand from buildings is predicted to

increase 50% by 2050 compared with 2015 levels under

business as usual scenarios due to rapid urbanisation

and the doubling of the built surface area. Effective

decarbonization of the buildings sector is therefore

critical to meeting the Paris Agreement Goals and

exceeding the current level of ambition in Nationally

Determined Contributions (NDCs).

Only one-hundred and thirty-six (136) parties have

referenced action required by the buildings and/or

construction sector in their NDCs. Very few building

sector actions included in these NDCs specify mitigation

targets, and if fully implemented, currently cover only

about 60% of building related GHG emissions (IEA/UNEP,

2018). Very few actions describe targets to move to

carbon neutral or net-zero energy building performance,

which is necessary for the sector to be on a below 2

pathway. Nor do they commonly communicate the

potential co-benefits of proposed actions.

More needs to be done: The overarching challenge

is to ensure all countries include building sector

actions in their NDCs, that the ambition of existing

building sector actions in NDCs is increased and

effectively implemented in order to achieve the

Paris agreement goals.

More work is needed to increase the coverage and

ambition of building sector climate actions. The current

scope and ambition of buildings sector commitments are

therefore, insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

It is also evident that there is no consistent format being

used to describe buildings sector actions in NDCs. This

means that it is difficult to assess the scope, ambition

and potential effectiveness of Parties commitments.

Developing a common format for describing and

comparing buildings sector actions in NDCs is therefore

necessary.

This guide is designed to address the urgent need for

further extending the scope and ambition of building

sector actions in NDCs, the opportunities for aligning

with commitments made by non-party actors, and the

renewed support for successively increasing ambition

and implementing actions of NDCs. It provides a simple

process for incorporating or updating ambitious and

effective building sector actions in Nationally Determined

Contributions. It focusses particularly on key actions

that are necessary to address and overcome common

challenges faced by countries in designing, financing

and implementing ambitious and effective actions, and

is intended to support the progressive updating of NDCs

Building from existing policies and commitments,

countries can extend the ambition of building sector

actions by:

- Increasing the scope of existing building energy

regulations to include a greater proportion of building

types, particularly housing, and to renovation projects;

- Increasing energy performance standards for building

envelopes, heating, cooling and ventilation systems,

and appliances;

- Integrate building sector actions with urban land-use

planning to enable the decarbonisation opportunities

of sustainable mobility choices, reducing urban heat-

island effects, and providing scale for integration of

distributed renewable energy supply.

This guide is structured around three stages for

incorporating such ambitious and effective buildings

sector GHG mitigation actions into NDCs; Mapping,

Prioritizing and Implementing & Monitoring. Each

section focuses on how to achieve ambitious and

effective outcomes in the buildings sector. You can

dive into the guide at any point depending on your own

circumstances. It also links with the evidence base on

building sector actions, tools and resources offered by

GlobalABC member organisations.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

MAPPING

Goal: The goal of the mapping phase is to have

developed a clearly communicated status of existing

building sector climate actions, established MRV

baseline scenario and gap analysis that sets the

evidence base for prioritising mitigation actions

required to limit global warming to well below 2

Theory of Change: Due to the fragmentation and

diversity of the building sector it is important that

national goals are informed by and adapted to local

market conditions. The process of planning building

sector climate actions for NDCs therefore requires

a high degree of coordination between government

agencies at national, regional and local levels in order

to clarify roles and responsibilities and streamline

the implementation of enabling policies. There

also needs to be effective engagement with local

businesses and communities in the construction

value chain in order to understand local market

barriers and opportunities that can inform policy and

identify front-runners that can serve as champions

for change.

Approach:

- Establish Mitigation MRV Baselines

- Map Existing Policies & Capabilities

- Develop Local Market Action Plans

PLANNING

Goal: The purpose of prioritising is to identify key

actions that work together to enable the buildings

sector to decarbonise and contribute to the resilience

and adaptive capacity of built environments.

Theory of Change: Increasing access to

programmatic funding and finance for building

energy efficiency, capacity building, emissions

mitigation and adaptation actions is the primary

means of support requested by countries. Therefore,

while respecting that there will be many local,

regional and national variations in context that will

influence which actions are prioritised, how fundable

a course of action is, can be adopted as a common

criterion.

Approach: Prioritise actions that

- Have high mitigation and/or adaptation impact

- Are transformative & scalable (not a one-off project

or program)

- Demonstrate a high level of stakeholder

engagement and often commitment, with co-

funding, leveraged private sector investment, and

community in-kind support.

- Lead to measurable, reportable and verifiable

outcomes (covered in Section 3).

MONITORING & IMPLEMENTING

Goal: Develop an Implementation plan that is going

to be effective in achieving building sector climate

actions in NDCs and that meets the governance,

financing and monitoring requirements of potential

funders.

Theory of Change: A plan without a goal is but a plan;

A goal without a plan is but a dream. Having identified

the scope of existing building sector actions, and the

prioritised high-impact actions that can bridge the

ambition gap, a fundable process for implementation

needs to be designed, communicated and monitored.

It is critical that a decarbonization goal and

milestones are established and that a lead agency

is appointed to align responsibilities of agencies

and jurisdictions in order to maintain progress and

achieve the goal.

Approach: When developing fundable

implementation plans for building sector climate

actions you should consider the extent to which the

implementation process:

Governance:

- Contributes to national and non-party actor

priorities for low-emission buildings

- Builds from existing building climate policies and

regulations to catalyze new policy and institutional

changes

- Strengthens institutional and implementation

capacity for decarbonizing the buildings sector

- Monitors, verifies and reports on the progress and

impact of actions through open access knowledge

sharing infrastructure.

- Plans for scaling up the scope and impact of the

intended actions without equally increasing the

total costs of implementation.

Finance:

- Strengthens the climate change focus of financial

and regulatory frameworks, and lending policies

- Overcomes market barriers to low-carbon building

and construction financing and create positive

impacts beyond the scope of the activity.

- Creates incentives for low-carbon market

transformation by reducing costs and risks,

eliminating barriers to the deployment of low-

carbon materials, technologies and climate-

resilient buildings

- Catalyzes private-and public-sector investment in

best practice low-carbon buildings, construction

technologies and practices, and ongoing building

operations and maintenance.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

INTRODUCTION

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change (COP 21)

initiates a global approach to climate action based on

Nationally Determined Contributions. Parties to the

Convention (Parties) nationally determine the actions

that they are willing and able to take to contribute to

limiting global warming to 1.5

C above pre-industrial

levels by mid-century. These Nationally Determined

Contributions (NDCs) describe a country’s post 2020

national climate change mitigation and adaptation

goals and targets. They describe overall targets and

also specific sectoral actions being taken, or proposed

to achieve them, and must be publicly registered with

the United nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC). To date 194 Parties to the convention

have submitted NDCs, representing about 95% of all

greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, even full

implementation of all current NDCs would still result in

temperature increases of about 3.2°C by the end of this

century, relative to pre-industrial levels (UNEP a, 2017).

Current ambition across all sectors is therefore not

sufficient to limit global warming to 2

C or 1.5

The buildings sector contributes nearly 40% to global

energy-related annual GHG emissions (IEA/UNEP, 2018).

Final energy demand from buildings could increase 50%

by 2050 compared with 2015 levels under business

as usual scenarios due to rapid urbanisation and the

doubling of the built surface area (+230 billion m² by

2060, UNEP 2016). Effective decarbonization of the

buildings sector is therefore critical to meeting the Paris

Agreement Goals and exceeding the current level of

ambition in NDCs.

“Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)

identify the post-2020 voluntary national climate

targets, including mitigation and adaptation,

which countries committed to which become

binding when a country ratifies the Paris

Agreement.” (World Bank, 2018).

The buildings sector also offers the most cost-effective

mitigation potential of any industrial sector (IPCC AR4,

2014) and a range of well documented co-benefits

including job creation, improved indoor and outdoor air

quality, improved climate resilience and adaptive capacity

(IEA, 2014; IPCC AR5, 2014). Recognising this potential,

one-hundred and thirty-six (136) parties have referenced

action required by the buildings and/or construction

sector in their NDCs. However, very few building sector

actions included in NDCs specify mitigation targets,

and if fully implemented, currently cover only about 60%

of building related GHG emissions (IEA/UNEP, 2018).

A more detailed analysis of buildings sector climate

actions in NDCs is presented in the GlobalABC Global

Status Report 2018.

Photo credit: Dominique Lalonde / flickr.com

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

The buildings sector actions have also not been prioritised

relative to other sectors included in NDCs to date. Even

in the urban sub-sector, building sector actions are less

prevalent than actions in industry and waste sectors in

NDCs. (Figure 1)

What these analyses reveal is that while awareness of

the need to engage with the building sector is high, more

work is needed to increase the coverage and ambition of

building sector climate actions. The current scope and

ambition of buildings sector commitments are therefore,

insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

Figure 1 Globally, buildings sector actions are less prevalent in NDCs than actions to reduce urban waste

or industrial energy consumption�

Source: World Bank: http://spappssecext.worldbank.org accessed 02/11/2018)

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140

SAR

EAP

ECA

SSA

LAC

MENA

TOTAL

Industry

Waste

Buildings

Beyond NDCs, the Paris Agreement has catalysed

thousands of non-party actors (such as municipalities

and businesses) to register ambitious buildings-related

climate commitments. This has renewed demand for

policy expertise and technical assistance to engage

the building sector in helping to achieve Nationally

Determined Contributions and non-party climate

commitments through the engagements of all levels of

government, industry and civil society stakeholders. In

particular, the strengthening of Technical Examination

Processes for Mitigation (TEP-M) and Adaptation

(TEP-A) at COP21 and COP23 has provided further

emphasis on ways of engaging stakeholders to identify

scalable and replicable best practices, policies and

technologies. In 2020 the focus of the TEP-M will be on

human settlements, with an emphasis on low-emissions

housing and building solutions (UNFCCC, 2018). The

emphasis on the buildings sector in 2020 provides an

important opportunity to recognise new and ambitious

building sector actions being incorporated into NDCs.

Key point

THE CURRENT SCOPE AND AMBITION OF BUILDINGS SECTOR

COMMITMENTS ARE THEREFORE, INSUFFICIENT TO MEET THE PARIS

AGREEMENT GOALS.

TIME LINE FOR NDC SUBMISSIONS

Under the Paris Agreement Parties are required to submit

their NDCs by February 2020, and then subsequently

update them on a preferred five-year cycle. Parties can

update their NDCs at any time, and are required to do so

nine to twelve months before the next key sessions of the

Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the

Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) established by the

Paris Agreement in 2020, 2025 and 2030. The UNFCCC

will conduct global stock takes of collective progress

every five years and make recommendations to inform

the updating of NDCs. A global stocktake is scheduled

for 2023 to inform the new 2025 NDCs and in 2028 to

inform new 2030 NDCs.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

This guide is designed to address the urgent need for

further extending the scope and ambition of building

sector actions in NDCs, the opportunities for aligning

with commitments made by non-party actors, and the

renewed support for successively increasing ambition

and implementing actions of NDCs. It provides a simple

process for incorporating or updating ambitious and

effective building sector actions in Nationally Determined

Contributions. It focusses particularly on key actions

that are necessary to address and overcome common

challenges faced by countries in designing, financing

and implementing ambitious and effective actions, and

is intended to support the progressive updating of NDCs

along the NDC cycle (Figure 1).

Figure 2 NDC Cycle as set out in the Paris Agreement

Source: ECBI, 2018

February 2020

New or

Updated NDCs

2023

Global

Stock·Take

2025

New or

Updated NDCs

2028

Global

Stock·Take

2030

New or

Updated NDCs

Key point

THE EMPHASIS ON THE BUILDINGS SECTOR IN 2020 PROVIDES AN

IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNISE NEW AND AMBITIOUS

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS BEING INCORPORATED INTO NDCS.

DEFINING AMBITION

Article 3 of the Paris Agreement calls for NDCs to

be progressively ambitious, while Article 4 requires

successive increases in ambition every five years. Many

parties distinguish between a level of ambition that will

be pursued unilaterally, and additional more ambitious

levels achievable with international support.

In most cases buildings sector actions have initially

been developed either to create or align with existing

or planned actions to reduce the climate impact of

the building sector. NDCs also often exist along-side

sub-national government climate commitments, and

commitments to action by the private sector and

individual businesses (collectively known as non-party

actor commitments). However, to contribute to the Paris

Agreement goals, climate actions included in NDCs need

to drive decarbonization of their buildings sectors, by

establishing ambitious, achievable and fundable actions.

Many parties have already quantified the increased

mitigation targets conditional on additional financial

support from the international community. Indeed,

successfully receiving funding through international

finance institutions requires ambition in proposed

programs and actions. Specific requirements for

fundable projects or programs vary from agency to

agency. However, large-scale bi-lateral and multi-lateral

funding for climate actions share four key eligibility

criteria which serve as a recipe for ambition in this guide.

To be fundable actions need to:

- Have high mitigation and/or adaptation impact

- Be transformative & scalable (not a one-off project or

program)

- Demonstrate a high level of stakeholder engagement

and often commitment, with co-funding, leveraged

private sector investment, and community in-kind

support.

- Lead to measurable, reportable and verifiable outcomes.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Such ambition is urgently required from the buildings

sector. Despite improvements in energy efficiency,

the buildings sector overall is not decarbonizing

(UNEP, 2017; IEA/UNEP, 2018). Increasing prosperity

is driving demand for increased floor area and energy

consumption, indicating little substantial changes in

resource consumption behaviour. Overall building energy

intensities have improved since 1990, but not enough to

offset strong growth in building floor area. As a result,

global building energy consumption continues to rise

and become locked in for decades due to the longevity

of building stock, while energy related GHG emissions

remain constant at around 2016 levels (IEA/UNEP, 2018).

Ambitious climate actions in the buildings sector

can be defined as those which move the sector in

countries towards zero-emissions by 2050, while

increasing the resilience and adaptive capacity of

the built environment.

According to the GlobalABC Global Status Report 2017

(UNEP, 2017), building sector final energy demand must

reduce by 30% by 2030 compared to 2015 (decreasing

energy intensity by 2.5% per year in final kWh/m

) in

order to be on track to limit global warming to below

C. With these goals in mind, ambitious climate actions

in the buildings sector can be defined as those which

move the sector in countries towards zero-emissions by

2050, while decreasing vulnerability and increasing the

resilience and adaptive capacity of the built environment.

As the GSR shows, there are still significant gaps in the

scope and coverage of building-related actions.

The regulatory coverage of GHG emissions in actions

included in NDCs currently varies greatly across energy

end-uses. The coverage of energy-related emissions

from space heating and cooling are of particular concern.

Many countries that are facing increased cooling energy

demand still lack cooling performance standards, and

have not included the development of such policies in

their NDCs. Similarly, emissions associated with material

manufacturing and construction are not sufficiently

addressed in existing NDC actions (GlobalABC, 2018).

Building from existing policies and commitments,

countries can extend the ambition of building sector

actions by:

- Increasing the scope of existing building energy

regulations to include a greater proportion of building

types, particularly housing, and to renovation projects;

- Increasing energy performance standards for building

envelopes, heating, cooling and ventilation systems,

and appliances;

There is also only minimal consideration given

in current NDCs to integrated urban land-use

planning. This offers significant decarbonisation

opportunities such as enabling sustainable

mobility choices, reducing urban heat-island

effects, and providing scale for integration of

distributed renewable energy supply. Further

opportunities for building sector decarbonization

are possible through implementation of the

recommendations of the GlobalABC Global

Roadmap, namely:

- Use urban planning policies to enable reduced

energy demand, increased renewable energy

capacity and improved infrastructure resilience.

- Increase uptake of net-zero operating emissions

for buildings.

- Increase the rate of building energy renovation

and increase the level of energy efficiency in

existing buildings.

- Reduce the operating energy and emissions

through improved energy management tools

and operational capacity building.

- Reduce the energy demand from systems,

appliances, lighting and cooking.

- Reduce the environmental impact of materials

and equipment in the buildings and construction

value chain by taking a life-cycle approach.

- Reduce building risks related to climate change

by adapting building design and improving

resilience.

- Increase secure, affordable and sustainable

energy and reduce the carbon footprint of energy

demand in buildings.

Bridging these gaps offer significant environmental,

health and economic opportunities. And yet, most NDCs

do not include specific quantitative or qualitative goals or

targets for building sector actions. Building commitment

to, and achieving common mitigation and adaptation

goals requires effective implementation.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

Key point

SUCCESSFULLY RECEIVING FUNDING THROUGH INTERNATIONAL FINANCE

INSTITUTIONS REQUIRES AMBITION IN PROPOSED NDC PROGRAMS AND

ACTIONS.

BEING EFFECTIVE

To succeed, all jurisdictions must implement appropriate

sustainable buildings policies that address the most

significant drivers of building-related GHG emissions,

and that attract the necessary investment to support

the transformation to low-carbon construction and

real-estate markets. They must also overcome some

common barriers to such transitions. This guide was

informed by a detailed content analysis of all Intended

Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) and NDCs

submitted to the UNFCCC, and a survey of six countries

that have already included specific building-sector

actions in their NDCs, and Argentina, who had detailed a

comprehensive implementation process. This research

identified the following key barriers and challenges to

effective implementation and increasing ambition of

buildings sector actions:

- Capability Building in developing bankable projects;

accessing funding

- Capability Building - in developing & enforcing new

regulations, and

- Creating Demand - Raising awareness & developing

markets

- Coordination between agencies, jurisdictions and the

private sector

- Access to new technology

- Accessing data & monitoring

Added to these barriers and challenges, are more specific

issues for project investors including:

- Providing clear institutional frameworks, transparent

bidding and awarding procedures, a robust rule of

law and little political interference to encourage

investment\.

To be effective building sector actions also need to

address sectors’ diversity, complexity and fragmentation.

For example, the governance of building performance

is often the responsibility of multiple jurisdictions from

national to local government. Ministries with jurisdiction

over the construction industry also often do not have

jurisdiction over climate change policies, environment or

health. Addressing these institutional challenges is not

only important for effectively mitigating building sector

climate impacts, but also for lowering vulnerability,

improving resilience and adaptive capacity. Implementing

new policies and stimulating market transformations

that drive decarbonization, and adaptation also requires

building the commitment and capability of a complex

value chain that is dominated by small to medium

enterprises.

This guide helps identify policy actions that cover

the main drivers of building sector emissions, and to

establish institutional and stakeholder engagement that

enables the implementation of buildings sector actions.

Examples of approaches taken by countries that have

incorporated building sector actions in their NDCs are

included throughout.

Types of Building Sector Actions included in current NDCs

A closer analysis of the buildings sector actions that are

described in NDCs reveals an emphasis on policy as a

means of action (38%). Improving technology (15%),

then education and awareness raising (10%) are the

next most favoured approaches. A few NDCs mention

government or industry led programs such as retrofitting

of government buildings, or piloting of new green

building standards (8%). Some NDCs intend to introduce

new incentive and financing schemes, particularly for

renewable energy such as solar P.V. and solar thermal

(8%). Research, particularly collecting building energy

performance data through audits, was also mentioned in

some NDCs (7%), while encouraging design innovation

as a mode of change was least prevalent (5%).

The most prevalent actions currently included in NDCs

relate to the adoption of new building energy codes,

labelling schemes and other building energy performance

standards. Most actions focus on improving building

energy efficiency, however a number of actions refer

to green building standards which are normally more

wholistic and take into consideration broader life-cycle

and resource consumption impacts and opportunities.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Figure 3 Types of Building Sector Actions mentioned in NDCs

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Policy

Technology

Education

Targets

Leadership

Finance/

Incentive

Research

Design

The focus of these actions is overwhelmingly on

improving building energy efficiency in general (73%).

There also appears to be an emerging concern for

more wholistic green building performance (15%).

However, only a few NDCs are specific about the energy

performance attributes of buildings they are targeting;

with cooling energy efficiency (5%) mentioned slightly

more often than heating energy efficiency (3%), climate

or carbon neutral buildings (3%), or net zero energy

performance (2%).

Figure 4 Performance Focus of Building Sector Actions mentioned in NDCs

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Building Energy Efﬁciency

Cooling EE

Green

Building

Heating EE

C-Neutral

NetZero

Looking more closely at the policy actions that have been

proposed, the emphasis is on developing new building

energy codes (40%), then on extending existing codes

to either increase minimum performance requirements

and/or extend to residential construction (17%). Some

NDCs also describe an intention to Introducing policies

that encourage uptake of solar P.V. and solar hot water

heating (17%). Increasing climate resilience (10%),

reducing the impact of materials through resource

conservation and encouraging uptake of green materials

(9%), and linking to urban scale policies (7%) were also

mentioned.

Figure 5 Policy Action Focus of Building Sector Actions mentioned in NDCs

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Extend

Existing Code

New Code Renewables

Materials

Resilience

Urban Scale

The format and the need for brevity in description of

actions in the format of NDCs mean that specific mention

of buildings sector actions is commonly very high-level.

Some NDC descriptions refer to aligned programs

such as NAMAs, government or industry initiatives that

indicate there are more detailed actions taking place,

but most do not. While acknowledging these limitations,

this brief typological analysis of current commitments

reveals a high level of awareness of the need to reduce

operational energy demand of buildings, and of the

effectiveness of building energy codes as a means

of market transformation. This is consistent across

developing and developed countries, with no discernible

difference in types of actions mentioned.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

However, there is room to improve the detail – especially

in setting specific mitigation targets for building sector

actions, linking with adaptation measures, and including

an indication of how actions are to be implemented.

In addition, very few actions describe an intention to

move to carbon neutral or net-zero energy building

performance, which is necessary for the sector to be on a

below 2

C pathway. Nor do they commonly communicate

the potential co-benefits of proposed actions.

It is evident that there is no consistent format being used to

describe buildings sector actions in NDCs. This means that

it is difficult to assess the scope, ambition and potential

effectiveness of Parties commitments. Developing a

common format for describing and comparing buildings

sector actions in NDCs is therefore necessary.

Key point

THERE IS ROOM TO IMPROVE THE DETAIL OF BUILDING SECTOR

ACTIONS IN NDCS ESPECIALLY IN SETTING SPECIFIC MITIGATION AND

DECARBONISATION TARGETS FOR BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS, LINKING

WITH ADAPTATION MEASURES, AND INCLUDING AN INDICATION OF HOW

ACTIONS ARE TO BE IMPLEMENTED.

Common Format for Describing Buildings Sector

Actions in NDCs

Based on the preceding analysis, it is possible to derive

a common format for a ‘best-practice approach to

incorporating buildings sector actions into NDCs. The

following common elements for describing building

sector actions in NDCs are therefore suggested as a

guide. A ‘best-practice’ description would:

1 - Clearly communicate status of

existing building sector climate

actions, and additionality of new

proposed actions based on:

- A mapping of existing climate actions in the

buildings sector

- An Measurable, Reportable & Verifiable (MRV)

baseline scenario and gap analysis that sets the

evidence base for prioritising mitigation actions

required to limit global warming to well below 2oC.

- A target for net zero emissions from the building

sector by 2050 with milestone of a 30% reduction

in final energy demand by 2030 compared to 2015;

2 – Prioritise Actions:

- Codes: Commit to implementation of near or net

zero energy performance new building codes and

complimentary sustainable buildings policies for

residential and non-residential construction and

renovation

- Complimentary Sustainable Building Policies:

Commit to extending the coverage of existing

climate policy and codes to include all major

building types, energy uses and life-cycle

- Technology: Commit to reducing the energy

intensity of air-conditioners, heating, lighting,

appliances, and the construction material supply

chain & switching from solid and fossil fuel use

to renewable electricity and increasing the energy

performance of building envelopes.

- Education & Research: Ensuring all building

practitioners are capable and responsible for

decarbonising the buildings sector, and that

building performance data is systematically

collected and shared

- Incentives and financing: to develop and grow

markets for low-carbon building

- Urban Scale: Integrated urban land-use and

development control plans to capture mitigation and

adaptation potential of sustainable urban systems

- Adaptation (Vulnerability & Resilience): Links to

adaptation measures noted in the NDC and other

national and sub-national initiatives.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

3 – List Implementation and monitoring

actions, which at a minimum should

include:

- Identifying a lead agency to oversee the

development, implementation and progressive

updating of buildings sector actions

- Build administrative and technical capacity to

fund, regulate, construct and operate low-carbon

buildings

- Engagement of non-party actors, and key

stakeholders in prioritising actions to achieve

mitigation milestones and targets

- Description of leveraged activities such as NAMAs

and required funding targets.

- Monitoring, evaluation and reporting performance

of mitigation and adaptation actions in line with the

Sustainable Development Goals, to inform global

stock-taking, and the progressive updating of

building sector actions every five years.

STRUCTURE OF THE GUIDE

The ‘Guide to Incorporating fundable buildings sector

mitigation actions in NDCs’ is structured to assist you in

adopting the best-practice approach described above. It

is organised onto three sections:

1 – Mapping

This section explains how to determine the scope of

actions and building industry sectors that should be

included in order to achieve mitigation and adaptation

goals.

2 – Prioritising

This section explains how to prioritise mitigation goals

and actions based on general funding criteria used by

multi-lateral donors and investors.

3 – Implementing & Monitoring

This section explains how to implement actions including

governance, accessing finance, capacity building, finding

technical assistance, and monitoring implementation.

Figure 6 This guide is structured around three stages

for incorporating ambitious and effective

buildings sector GHG mitigation actions into

NDCs� Each stage is underpinned by inclusive

partnership with stakeholders�

MAPPING

STAKEHOLDER

PARTNERSHIPS

PRIORITIZING

IMPLEMENTING

MONITORING

There are a number of guides and tools that provide

general frameworks for planning and implementing

NDCs. These guides focus mainly on what to do in order

to establish implementable mitigation and adaptation

actions in NDCs. This guide is designed with reference

to the common steps laid out in existing general guides,

and adds guidance on how to achieve ambitious and

effective outcomes in the buildings sector. You can

dive into the guide at any point depending on your own

circumstances. It also links with the evidence base on

building sector actions, tools and resources offered by

GlobalABC member organisations.

Photo credit: Bill Perry / shutterstock.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

1. MAPPING

Goal: The goal of the mapping phase is to have developed

a clearly communicated status of existing building sector

climate actions, established MRV baseline scenario and

gap analysis that sets the evidence base for prioritising

mitigation actions required to limit global warming to

well below 2

Theory of Change: Due to the fragmentation and diversity

of the building sector it is important that national goals

are informed by, and adapted to local market conditions.

The process of planning building sector climate actions

for NDCs therefore requires a high degree of coordination

between government agencies at national, regional and

local levels in order to clarify roles and responsibilities,

and streamline the implementation of enabling policies.

There also needs to be effective engagement with local

businesses and communities in the construction value

chain in order to understand local market barriers and

opportunities that can inform policy, and identify front-

runners that can serve as champions for change.

Approach:

- Establish Mitigation MRV Baselines

- Map Existing Policies & Capabilities

- Develop Local Market Action Plans

MEASURABLE, REPORTABLE & VERIFIABLE

(MRV) EMISSIONS BASE-LINES

Establishing an empirical basis for prioritising building

sector climate actions is an essential pre-requisite

for qualifying for climate funding and financing.

Actions must be able to demonstrate that they deliver

measurable, reportable and Verifiable (MRV) energy

savings and emissions abatement. For mitigation

actions this requires the calculation of the building

sector’s emissions base-line based on business as usual,

and a net-zero emissions scenario for 2050. Tracking the

market penetration of net zero and green buildings is

also an important indicator of transition.

Calculating Mitigation Base-Lines

There are three common ways of generating energy use

and GHG emissions base lines for a stock of buildings

(top-down, bottom-up and hybrid).

TOP-DOWN

This approach is useful if you only have access to

aggregated building energy use data such as national,

regional or municipal statistics on residential and/or

non-residential energy-use. This approach requires

information on the total building stock, total energy

use and shares of different building types in the total

energy use of the building sector. This approach is

mostly useful, when the assessment has to be done

on a large scale (e.g. country) and there is a lack of

detailed data on that level.

Data Needs: Building stock data (Gross Floor Area),

building energy demand, occupancy, energy end-use

data (fuel type and consumption), Emissions factors

for fuels and electricity used, renovation rates, and

new construction rates.

BOTTOM-UP

This approach is useful if you have more detailed

measured energy use data from a representative

sample of buildings in your building stock. You will

be able to build-up an MRV baseline by entering

more detailed energy data from individual buildings

in different categories of building types – such

as single or multi-family residential, commercial,

hospitals etc. This approach focuses on (one or

several) individual buildings and requires information

on floor area and, total energy consumption in kWh

and fuel mix for each particular building. Bottom-up

approach can be applied as well, if all required data

can be found for representative case studies, typical

buildings or assumed averages. It also allows for

utilizing experts’ judgments (e.g. regarding specific

energy consumption values) in case measured data

are impossible to obtain. The Bottom-up approach is

very useful for a certain (limited) group of buildings

and/or for a concrete mitigation project, but can be

less useful for establishment of a national baseline

or Business as Usual (BAU).

Data Needs: Measured energy use data from a

sample of buildings of the same type, floor area,

occupancy, fuels used and end-uses, fuel and

electricity emissions factors.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

HYBRID APPROACH:

This approach requires information on total floor area

and, most importantly, specific energy consumption

in kWh/m2, which allows for calculating total energy

use for different end-uses, building types, climate

zones, etc. at the level of a region, country or city.

The Hybrid approach can be use on a smaller scale,

when it is important to analyse different influences

on energy use and GHG emissions (e.g. in different

building types or climate zones), or in cases

where there is a lack of data and need for detailed

assessment on larger scales (country, region, etc.).

NDC Commitments to Improve Data

Guyana plans to conduct energy audits of its

building stock, while Djibouti plans to conduct

energy audits of its administrative buildings.

Jordan has committed to improving data

collection on energy-use patterns and to identify

the best data for energy efficiency policy and

markets. It intends to carry out energy audits

of public buildings and provide funding to allow

schools, hospitals and other facilities to assess

their energy savings potential.

Senegal plans to pass regulation requiring

companies to conduct energy audits and energy

supply studies to support improving their energy

performance from 5-15%.

A number of parties have included data-collection or

capacity building for energy performance auditing

of buildings in their NDCs. This data will enable their

MRV methodologies.

Further Resources from GlobalABC Members:

- Building Energy Performance Metrics www.ipeec.org

- Common Carbon Metric (top down) www.ccmbuildings.net

- IFC EDGE Tool (bottom up) www.edgebuildings.com

- Medpro-medee (projection of energy demand) https://

www.enerdata.net/solutions/medpro-medee-model.html

- O dysée - Mur e Tool http://www.indicators.odyssee-mure.eu

- TRACE Tool (hybrid) www.esmap.org

Mapping Existing Policies, Commitments & Capabilities

It is important to integrate NDC actions with building

sector actions included in other national climate plans and

NAMAs. A mapping of existing policy coverage, existing

climate plans, commitments and actions, including

those of non-party actors, and governance capabilities

and deficiencies can be conducted. The mitigation

potential of existing policies and commitments should

be estimated so that the existing level of policy coverage

and ambition can be quantified.

Comparing the base-line emissions and risks and the

mitigation and adaptation potential of existing and

committed policies, with the path to net zero-emissions

by 2050 provides an estimate of the ‘ambition gap’. This

forms the basis for an effective evidence-based dialogue

between government agencies and industry stakeholders

to agree on common climate action mitigation and

adaptation targets and appropriate governance for

achieving them.

The public policy working area of the GlobalABC offers

a framework for discussion about policy at national, and

local level.

Non-Party stakeholders Commitments

The majority of climate commitments involving actions

in the buildings sector have been made by non-party

stakeholders, particularly municipalities (Figure 7).

In addition, a large number of municipalities and

regional governments have committed to becoming

carbon neutral by 2050. This level of commitment

and momentum is a significant resource for national

governments in planning, prioritising and implementing

buildings sector climate actions in their NDCs.

Photo credit: Team UOW

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

Figure 7 Proportion of Building Sector Climate Commitments – NDCs and Non-Party Stakeholder Commitments

Source: UNFCCC; NAZCA Database

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Cities

Private

Sector

Public

Sector

The private sector is also committing to ambitious

goals for mainstreaming net-zero carbon and energy

buildings. Notable among GlobalABC members are the

World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) Advancing

Net-Zero

program which engages its network of

national Green Building Councils (GBCs) in achieving

100% net zero carbon buildings by 2050. This was

further strengthened at the recent Global Climate Action

Summit (San Francisco, 12-14 September 2018) with the

launch of the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.

Another initiative with similar ambitions is Architecture

2030 which supports public and private sector actions

to mainstream zero carbon building in new construction,

existing buildings and in construction materials. More

GlobalABC member commitments can be found on the

GlobalABC web-site https://www.globalabc.org.

If aligned, NDCs, together with the more extensive

non-party stakeholder commitments provide a clear

framework for action to decarbonize the buildings sector

(Figure 8).

GlobalABC Member Resources

- Global roadmap www.globalabc.org

- Zero energy Building definitions and Policy

Activity – an international review, www.IPEEC.org

- More details on nearly zero energy buildings

campaign: http://www.cleanenergyministerial.org

Figure 8 Ecosystem of Building Sector Climate Commitments

Nationally Determined Contributions

Regional Commitments

City Commitments

Company

Commitments

Company

Commitments

Company

Commitments

Company

Commitments

City Commitments City Commitments

Regional Commitments

1 World Green Buildings Council “Net Zero Carbon” principles allow

for some portion of on-site energy use to be balanced with off-site

renewable sources or purchased carbon offsets.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Develop Local Market Action Plans

The mitigation and adaptation data, together with overall

mitigation and adaptation targets should be localised

as local market base-line reports. Relevant non-party-

actor climate commitments can also be identified, and

intermediate and regional cities and towns should be

included. It is important to note that stakeholders at the

local level may not prioritise mitigation or adaptation

goals but may be far more motivated by co-benefits

such as growth in local employment, improved air-

quality, or the creation of new markets for products and

services. These data support engagement with local

market stakeholders who can contribute to local market

action plans that identify local market opportunities and

barriers, capacity, policy and technology gaps that need

to be addressed to achieve targets and commitments

and close the ‘ambition gap’.

NDC Targets

China has set a target of 50% of all new buildings

constructed by 2020 are to be certified green

buildings. This would increase the market share

of green buildings in China from 5% today to 28%

in 2020. The Chinese Green Building Standard

focusses on energy conservation rather than CO

mitigation.

Grenada has established energy savings targets

for new construction of 30% to be achieved by

new energy efficiency codes. It has set a target

of a 20% reduction in energy consumption of

existing buildings through retrofitting, and has

committed to reducing energy demand in hotels

by 20% by 2030.

Moldova has committed to achieving a 20%

reduction in building related GHG emissions by

2020 through the adoption of new building codes

Effective stakeholder engagement is critical, and

commonly a pre-requisite eligibility criterion for

receiving funding for climate actions. It is common for

governments to consult most with the private-sector

when determining building sector climate actions.

This includes consultations with professional bodies

such institutes of architects, engineers, and real-estate

developers, and chambers of commerce representing

small-to-medium enterprises. In some countries trades

unions, environmentalists, academics and experts have

been included in consultations.

It is important to try to apply a consistent and transparent

approach to facilitation in order to build consensus around

the need for change. Ways of including the informal

construction sector where this is a significant proportion

of building activity should also be considered. Involving

independent third-party facilitators should therefore

be considered. A number of GlobalABC members offer

programs to develop local market action plans. These

include the Sustainable Energy for All Building Efficiency

Accelerator led by the World Resources Institute and the

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

Energy Efficient Building Amplify initiatives.

Photo credit: Tony Budden / inhabitat.com

Photo credit: Construction at Hudson Yards / commons.wikimedia.org

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

2. PRIORITISING

Goal: The purpose of prioritising is to identify key actions

that work together to enable the buildings sector to

decarbonise and contribute to the resilience and adaptive

capacity of built environments.

Unfortunately, in an industry as diverse and fragmented

as construction and real-estate, it is unlikely that all

stakeholders will agree on which actions to prioritise. The

complexity of the sector and the number of stakeholders

involved was identified as one of a number of barriers

to increase the ambition of actions in NDCs. Countries

also report that building energy efficiency and mitigation

actions are still a low priority when compared to other

sectors. Raising awareness of the benefits of buildings as

productive assets, and buildings sector decarbonisation

remain key challenges.

Theory of Change: Increasing access to programmatic

funding and finance for building energy efficiency,

capacity building, emissions mitigation and adaptation

actions is the primary means of support requested by

countries. Therefore, while respecting that there will be

many local, regional and national variations in context

that will influence which actions are prioritised, how

fundable a course of action is, can be adopted as a

common criterion.

Approach:

Prioritise actions that:

- Have high mitigation and/or adaptation impact

- Are transformative & scalable (not a one-off project or

program)

- Demonstrate a high level of stakeholder engagement

and often commitment, with co-funding, leveraged

private sector investment, and community in-kind

support.

- Lead to measurable, reportable and verifiable outcomes

(covered in Section 3).

The following sections describe how these conditions

can be met.

HIGH IMPACT MITIGATION CRITERIA

High impact mitigation actions are those that deliver

significant emissions reductions over time in line with

the Paris Agreement’s below 2

C warming goal. The

design, orientation and urban density of buildings has an

influence on urban sustainability and transport choices.

Indicators of high impact actions in the buildings sector

might include:

- The overall tonnes of CO

equivalent (tCO

eq) reduced

or avoided (over the short, medium and long term

annually and cumulatively);

- The degree to which lock-in of high emissions

infrastructure is avoided;

- The extent to which barriers to scaling up are removed

(potential to scale);

- The overall decrease in the energy and carbon intensity

of buildings.

Another important consideration for funders is the

additionality of proposed actions. This means that

actions proposed should do more than just replicate

existing programs or measures. For example, the GSR

2018 shows that there is a significant overlap between

existing building energy policy coverage and NDC actions

proposed to improve building envelope performance.

This does not lead to a significant enough reduction in

business as usual energy demand. To be fundable, actions

need to be transformative rather than incremental, which

means they need to lead to permanent shifts toward

mainstreaming low-carbon buildings.

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GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Through a rigorous systematic review of policy and technology impact research, The IPCC 5

Assessment Report

identified the following categories of action with highest GHG mitigation potentials:

STRATEGY MITIGATION

POTENTIALS

Building Energy Efficiency Codes 30% - 70%

Policy Targets: Low-zero & positive energy buildings <79%

Integrated Planning & Design, district heating-cooling <30%

Building Design: Bio-Climatic, Bio-Positive, Adaptive, Resilience & integrated solar

thermal & P.V.

30-50%

High-Efficiency envelope, heating & cooling technologies <50%

Life-cycle Approach to greening the Value-Chain, labeling & MEPS <40%

Behavior Change <40%

TRANSFORMATIVE & SCALABLE

According to the 2018 Global Status Report, only about

50% of available CO

emissions mitigation potential

is being addressed by existing policies and new

commitments.

Achieving the remaining 50% requires three high-impact

policy actions:

- Introducing new building energ y codes with progressive

increases in stringency scheduled to achieve mandatory

net zero emissions building performance by 2050.

- Designing and implementing complimentary policy

packages such as energy rating and labelling, that

provide recognition and incentives to drive markets in

high-performance, low-carbon buildings.

- Provide education and training for government agencies

to stream-line policy implementations and improve

enforcement and compliance.

Building Energy Codes and Complimentary Policies

Among all policy actions, the most widely recognised

and scalable action that can be taken to reduce energy-

related GHG emissions from the buildings sector is

the implementation of building energy codes. Having

such codes in place and enforced effectively lifts the

minimum performance of all buildings to which they

apply. Building energy codes more commonly apply to

new construction, and in fewer jurisdictions to major

building renovations. There are also fewer jurisdiction

which enforce mandatory energy codes in residential

construction.

A significant opportunity for high-impact policy actions

therefore exists in extending the coverage of energy

codes to building renovations, and to residential buildings.

Incorporating codes into a package of complimentary

policies that encourage builders to achieve better than

minimum performance such as financial incentives,

energy labelling, and capacity building significantly

improves the energy and emissions saving potential of

codes.

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NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

The other key element of a high-impact policy action is

to establish an ambitious absolute emissions reduction

target such as mandatory net-zero energy performance

by 2050, with progressive performance milestones

at 2030 and 2040 that the industry can be supported

to achieve. Few countries have set such targets for

buildings sector actions in their NDCs. Transforming to

a sustainable buildings sector therefore requires actions

at scale beyond the building site. The GlobalABC Global

Roadmap recommends policy actions that:

- Use urban planning policies to enable reduced energy

demand, increased renewable energy capacity and

improved infrastructure resilience.

- Increase uptake of net-zero operating emissions for

buildings.

- Increase the rate of building energy renovation and

increase the level of energy efficiency in existing

buildings.

- Reduce the operating energy and emissions through

improved energy management tools and operational

capacity building.

- Reduce the energy demand from systems, appliances,

lighting and cooking.

- Reduce the environmental impact of materials and

equipment in the buildings and construction value

chain by taking a life-cycle approach.

- Reduce building risks related to climate change by

adapting building design, lowering vulnerability and

improving resilience.

- Increase secure, affordable and sustainable energy

and reduce the carbon footprint of energy demand in

buildings.

Additionality in NDCs

Mexico is expanding the spectrum of application

of sustainable housing programs, first towards

a retrofit, and second, expansion to sectors

not directly served by government programs

in further revisions to its NDC. Supporting this

expansion are a number of NAMA programs that

are focussed or effect its buildings sector, with a

NAMA for sustainable housing in Mexico (Energy-

Efficiency Measures in residential building sector)

now being implemented. (GiZ, in-press 2018).

Seychelles is also planning to implement a

new energy code for housing that includes roof

insulation and passive design features including

natural ventilation to support achieving an

energy savings target of 50% from fans and air-

conditioners by 2035. Their NDC also includes

a mandate that all new buildings incorporate

rainwater harvesting, solar P.V. and other

sustainable building features.

Turkey has included the introduction of an energy

performance certificate program for new and

existing buildings to support reduction of energy

consumption per square meter of floor area.

The United Arab Emirates are also planning the

introduction of new green building regulations

and energy standards applicable to building

retrofitting.

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GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Transformative Technologies

More than 50% of the mitigation potential of technology

improvements remains on the table. Further actions

to improve the energy efficiency of technologies that

influence the use of energy in buildings such as space

heating & cooling equipment, water heating and cooking

are needed, as is further supporting energy conserving

behaviour. This can be achieved through actions that:

- Improve the efficiency & construction quality of

building envelopes

- Encourage the mainstream adoption of high-

efficiency equipment and appliances

- Support energy conserving behaviour and social

practices with smart controls and connected

devices.

The performance of building envelopes, and the efficiency

of cooling equipment in particular, significantly influence

energy demand and associated emissions from buildings.

Building energy demand and associated emissions can

be reduced substantially through climatically appropriate

design of low carbon, high durability building envelope

systems (that avoid high embodied carbon materials and

components such as petroleum-based insulation). Better

windows and insulation, coupled with thermally isolated

construction systems, and good orientation dramatically

help to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures and

daylighting, while reducing the need for added energy

for heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting. Commercial

building envelopes can be highly standardised, which

improves the scalability of energy savings from technical

improvements.

There is far greater diversity in residential sectors, so

increasing energy performance standards for building

envelope components such as windows, doors and

thermal insulation is key. Complimentary actions include

developing the design and construction competency

to build with the requisite quality for high-performance

buildings, and transitioning to low-carbon markets

through implementing low-efficiency technology buy-

back schemes, coupled with stimulating demand for

high-efficiency domestic appliances.

NDC Commitments on Transformative

Technologies

Mongolia is including Insulation improvements of

old apartment buildings, efficiency improvement

of heating systems and installation of heat

meters in their NDC. They have included a series

of targets to help monitor progress including:

Reducing heat loss by 20% by 2020 and by 40%

by 2030, compared to 2014 levels. To achieve this

their NDC ambition is to have retrofitted 18,184

households in existing apartment buildings in the

capital Ulaanbaatar.

Japan intends to introduce more high efficiency

lighting, refrigerant control technology and high-

efficiency air-conditioners.

Lesotho is planning a phase-out of incandescent

light bulbs and introduction of motion-sensor

lighting, introduction of new guidelines, standards

and regulations for use of passive design and

low-carbon materials in new construction, and

implementing incentives for retrofitting existing

buildings with more energy efficient appliances.

Highest Impact Behavioural and Managerial Actions

Even with the best intentions, high-efficiency buildings

and equipment can be operated in ways that still waste

energy. Supporting behaviour change by building

occupants is often called for, but programs aimed at

changing individual behaviour are often not effective.

A more effective approach is to focus on the social

practices of energy use – that is not just individual

behaviour, but the social context that influences

energy use. For example, educating people to increase

thermostat settings and wear less clothes to stay

cool at work can only be effective if there is a change

in what is considered appropriate attire to wear to the

office. Equally, at home people’s energy use is affected

by a range of factors related to the rituals of daily life –

cooking, cleaning, washing, resting, entertaining and so

on.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

New smart-thermostat and environmental control

technologies can help address such a variety of

influencing factors by monitoring energy use and

optimising the conservation of heating and cooling

energy in response to occupant behaviours. The IEA

suggest that widespread adoption of such smart systems

could lower building energy consumption by up to 10% by

2040 (UNEP, 2017).

Real estate developers and private investors also

need support to create business cases for sustainable

building, and for implementing sustainable building

construction and management practices. For example,

the capital cost of energy efficient buildings is often over

estimated by investors, while cost benefits are under-

estimated (EIU, 2013). The expectations of extremely

high return on investment of the construction industry in

most emerging countries is also a barrier for financing

additionalities.

There are emerging opportunities for new business

models such as ESCOs, energy services contracts and

co-development that should be fostered. Managerial

actions such as implementing ISO 50001 on Energy

Management Systems, and “green leases” also have

great potential impact in non-residential buildings. There

are many actions being committed to at company level

that set targets and plan energy efficiency improvement

measures in privately owned buildings and facilities in

many countries. These offer another level of potential

alignment for increasing the ambition of measures

included in NDCs.

Lack of awareness of the cost and co-benefits of energy

efficient have been noted as a barrier to increasing market

demand. To combat this a number of countries have also

included education and awareness raising as elements of

the buildings sector actions described in NDCs.

HIGH LEVEL OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Stakeholders are any person or entity that is likely to be

affected by the actions being proposed. Engagement

means involving them in understanding the problems,

identifying opportunities, setting goals and prioritising

actions. It also means developing long-term relationships

to make it easier to implement and adjust actions over

time.

In developing national actions, it is important to

develop a consensus on common national mitigation

and adaptation goals and priorities that align with non-

party actor commitments, and that can be implemented

locally. Stakeholder engagement is therefore essential

to building this consensus and alignment within and

between government agencies, civil society, and with the

private sector. It is also often an eligibility requirement

for climate program funding.

The buildings sector has a diverse value chain, with

most activity dominated by small to medium enterprises

(SMEs). There is also great heterogeneity in building

types, designs, construction materials and techniques

that respond to local market, cultural and environmental

conditions. This needs to be considered when planning

stakeholder engagement strategies.

The GlobalABC member, the Royal Institute of Chartered

Surveyors (RICS) have developed ten best-practice

principles for effective stakeholder engagement in

the buildings sector (RICS, 2014). Consider these

approaches, remembering that they will need to be

adapted to suit different conditions.

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GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

Principle 1 COMMUNICATE

Ensure you ask what other’s preferred mode of

communication is. Have a diversity of approaches and

media at your disposal.

Principle 2 CONSULT EARLY AND OFTEN

You may not be able to reach all stakeholders at the

beginning of the planning process so be flexible. Plan

engagement so that it is not one-off but ongoing.

Principle 3 REMEMBER WE’RE ONLY HUMAN

Try to understand different stakeholder’s primary

concerns and be open to subjective and emotional

concerns as well as rational concerns.

Principle 4 PLAN IT

Ensure sufficient time is taken to plan and implement

stakeholder engagement.

Principle 5 REMEMBER RELATIONSHIPS ARE KEY

Establish trust in the process and outcomes of

engagement by taking time to solicit meaningful

contributions from each participant, provide opportunities

for review, and follow up regularly.

Principle 6 SIMPLE, BUT NOT EASY

Effective stakeholder engagement relies more on a series

of characteristics of the facilitators rather than following

a set of rules. There is therefore a need to balance the

application of rigorous process and facilitation tools,

with nuance and emotional intelligence.

Principle 7 JUST PART OF MANAGING RISK

Stakeholder engagement can also be thought of as

a risk management tool. The risk of stakeholder dis-

engagement might be especially pertinent when

proposing ambitious changes in current building

practices to achieve climate goals. Keeping high-risk

stakeholders involved is key.

Principle 8 COMPROMISE

It is unlikely that all stakeholders will be able to agree

on a course of action. However, given the importance

limiting global warming to well below 2

C, compromising

on the ambition to achieve net zero emissions is not an

option. One technique is to ensure you understand whose

priorities are really important to achieving this aim. You

may be able to compromise on specific actions as long

as the goal is agreed to.

Principle 9 UNDERSTAND WHAT SUCCESS IS

this could be usefully thought of as the aggregate value

of the proposed actions to all stakeholders affected.

Principle 10 TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Stakeholder engagement is predominantly a proactive

activity which requires someone to take responsibility for

its planning, implementation and follow up.

Local Alliances

The transition towards zero emission, energy efficient

and resilient buildings is a long journey, requiring

collective and concerted commitment by all buildings

stakeholders in strong partnerships. The GlobalABC

Public policy working group is therefore supporting

national governments to gather and animate building

stakeholders under local buildings and climate alliance

such as:

- Alianza Global para los Edificios y la Construcción

(Mexico, 2018)

- Alliance Marocaine du Batiment pour le Climat (Moroco,

2016)

- Plan Batiment Durable (France, 2009)

These local alliances aim to create a long term public

private partnership with building professionals:

Builders (contractors and trades), designers (architects,

engineers), industry & retail (materials, equipment),

property owners (private & public), services companies

(ESCO, facility managers, developers, lawyers), and the

finance sector (investors, banks). They are designed to

have:

- Strong leadership: president of the organisation is a

leader in the building sector, and independent from

major economic interests

- Clear goals: is it about sustainability, quality, climate

change (Paris agreement compliance and achieving

NDC mitigation & adaptation goals)

- Light structure: action orientated rather than

bureaucratic.

- Close relation with public authorities: To support

implementation of regulatory recommendations

- Full Inclusiveness: Have representatives of stakeholders

involved in governance, and strategic advisory roles

- Regular Communication: in professional press, periodic

publications, policy recommendations, and organised

events such as annual forums.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

MEXICO

A large number of stakeholders

representing the private sector,

academia and civil society is

engaged in an on-going series of

networks and events to continually

inform building energy and climate

policy. These include conferences,

as well as formal and informal

knowledge exchange networks.

SENEGAL

All relevant professions especially

architects, the private and public

real estate sector s and construction

business were involved in

determining the building sector

actions included in Senegal’s NDC.

MO ROCCO

A broad consultation process

with all relevant stakeholders was

conducted during the preparation

of the NDC. Institutional, national

and international experts, and

representatives of the private

sector were consulted as part of

this process. Ongoing engagement

to develop the NDC implementation

plan continues to be coordinated by

the State Secretariat of Sustainable

Development.

NDC STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Photo credit: CC0

Photo credit: CC0 / twitter.comPhoto credit: CC0 / twitter.com

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

MONGOLIA

Mongolia involved technical

experts from their Building

Energy Efficiency Centre, along

with building energy experts,

and professors from technical

universities to identify the building

sector actions included in its NDC,

which were aimed predominantly at

achieving large energy savings and

CO2 mitigation goals.

TUNISIA

In the development of building

sector actions, the responsible

authority in Tunisia consulted with

the country’s Order of Engineers,

Order of Architects, and National

Union Chambers in the fields of

Energy Efficiency and renewable

energy.

Photo credit: eFesenko / shutterstock.com

Photo credit: Mark-Agnor / shutterstock.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

3. IMPLEMENTING & MONITORING

Goal: Develop an Implementation plan that is going to

be effective in achieving building sector climate actions

in NDCs and that meets the governance, financing and

monitoring requirements of potential funders.

Theory of Change: A plan without a goal is but a plan;

A goal without a plan is but a dream. Having identified

the scope of existing building sector actions, and the

prioritised high-impact actions that can bridge the

ambition gap, a fundable process for implementation

needs to be designed, communicated and monitored. It

is critical that a decarbonization goal and milestones are

established and that a lead agency is appointed to align

responsibilities of agencies and jurisdictions in order to

maintain progress and achieve the goal.

Approach:

When developing fundable implementation plans for

building sector climate actions

you should consider the extent to which the

implementation process:

Governance:

- Contributes to national and non-party actor priorities

for low-emission buildings

- Builds from existing building climate policies and

regulations to catalyze new policy and institutional

changes

- Strengthens institutional and implementation capacity

for decarbonizing the buildings sector

- Monitors, verifies and reports on the progress and

impact of actions through open access knowledge

sharing infrastructure.

- Plans for scaling up the scope and impact of the

intended actions without equally increasing the total

costs of implementation.

Finance:

- Strengthens the climate change focus of financial and

regulatory frameworks, and lending policies

- Overcomes market barriers to low-carbon building and

construction financing and create positive impacts

beyond the scope of the activity.

- Creates incentives for low-carbon market

transformation by reducing costs and risks, eliminating

barriers to the deployment of low-carbon materials,

technologies and climate-resilient buildings

- Catalyzes private-and public-sector investment in

best practice low-carbon buildings, construction

technologies and practices, and ongoing building

operations and maintenance.

KEY STRATEGIES FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE OF

IMPLEMENTATION

Quantify the contribution of building sector actions to

overall NDC climate mitigation and adaptation goals

and establish corresponding building sector targets.

Currently very few NDCs that mention specific building

sector actions have set specific mitigation targets for

those actions (IEA/UNEP, 2018). The quantification of

the mitigation impacts is essential to the MRV process,

as is setting clear goals that can be assigned to specific

agencies to achieve. Impact assessment and the MRV

approach are also essential for developing a fundable

implementation plan.

Establish a Lead Agency and an Inter-jurisdictional

government agency consultation process

One of the main challenges reported by governments

to incorporating buildings sector actions into NDCs is

the complexity of inter-agency relationships and often

shared responsibilities for achieving climate goals within

national strategies. Overcoming these complexities

requires the alignment of building sector climate actions

included in NDCs with actions included in other national

mitigation frameworks such as Nationally Agreed

Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) (if they exist). This helps to

clarify which agency should lead implementation. Once

a lead agency is assigned, an interagency consultation

process, (facilitated in accordance with best-practice

principles for stakeholder engagement) should be

established to coordinate implementation, monitoring

and reporting.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

NDC Appointing Lead Agencies:

Argentina: Within the National Directorate of

Climate Change (GNCC), a joint working group is

developing the monitoring of mitigation measures

and the generation of progress indicators. This

is being developed within the framework of the

GNCC. This work is implemented within sectoral

action plans where barriers, possible instruments

and financing needs are identified, as well as the

form of monitoring required.

Cameroon: projects resulting from building sector

actions were identified and initiated, with joint

monitoring between the Ministry of Habitat and

the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable

Development.

Mexico: Designed building sector climate actions

within the framework of the NAMAs, including

robust monitoring schemes that are in the

process of being implemented through existing

mechanisms in Mexico. A Special Climate

Change Program (PECC), has been established to

monitor government actions. Based on the MRV

of the NAMA, in March 2017 the National Housing

Commission (CONAVI) submitted the first

national mitigation report on the housing sector

to the National Institute of Ecology and Climate

Change (INECC).

Provide education and training for government

agencies to stream-line policy implementations and

improve enforcement and compliance capabilities.

The need for developing the capability of policy makers

and government institutions to design and effectively

enforce building climate policies has been consistently

identified as priority in a number of recent global needs

analysis surveys (Graham et al., 2017; Roshchanka et al,

2017). Governments also identified this lack of capability

as a key challenge to further incorporating building sector

actions into NDCs. This clearly needs to be addressed

in implementation plans. Strengthening the institutional

capacity to decarbonize the buildings sector is also an

important goal for funding agencies.

A broad range of support is offered by GlobalABC

members ranging from policy best-practice guidance,

and training programs in Energy Efficiency policy-

making, through to direct technical support through

expert networks and ‘deep-dive engagement’ in specific

locations.

NDC Education & Training:

Senegal: In support of its NDC Senegal is

implementing awareness-raising and training

programs for actions, energy consumption

measures, development of new materials,

incentives, regulations and support for promoters.

In their NDCs Afghanistan intends to increase

access to information on technology, mitigation

measures and financing for green buildings,

while Cameroon intends to train and organise

the entire construction value chain towards low

consumption construction.

The Ivory Coast also intends to train all actors

in the value chain in low-energy building. Japan

has included education campaigns to increase

the efficient use of lighting and extending

its ‘top-runner’ appliance program (where

energy efficiency targets are set based on the

performance of the most efficient models on the

market) in its NDC.

Jordan, Yemen, Lesotho and Qatar have also

included conducting awareness raising and

training campaigns to reduce energy demand

in their NDCs. Jordan has also committed

to developing an in-house show room at the

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to

advise professionals on how to save energy.

GlobalABC Member Resources

Capacity building of designers, builders and trades

in deep energy renovation:  www.renovation-

doremi.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

Commit to regular progress reporting through National

Climate Action Plans.

While acknowledging that access to building stock and

energy use data remains challenging for many countries,

monitoring impacts of actions and progress towards

goals is an essential requirement for funders seeking to

support NDC implementation. Countries such as Mexico

and Morocco have established MRV frameworks through

NAMA for Buildings programs, and as the example above

from Argentina shows, it is practical to align monitoring

and reporting with reporting against national action

plans.

Countries surveyed for this guide are still challenged by

the relatively low priority given to building sector climate

actions, low level of demand for energy efficient buildings

and low levels of awareness of benefits among industry

and government stakeholders. It is therefore important

to report on the co-benefits of building climate actions

such as rates of new job creation, improved air-quality

and public health, increased investment in sustainable

buildings, and the development of new markets in energy

efficient technologies. The IEA has published a guide to

methodologies for calculating co-benefits.

NDC Implementation Road-Maps:

Morocco: As part of World Bank support for the

implementation of Morocco’s NDC, a modelling

study was conducted, which assessed the

different options available for policy reforms

to most effectively achieve the NDC’s energy

efficiency objectives in the building sector. From

this a roadmap for the implementation of the NDC

which concerns all the sectors listed in the NDC,

and in particular the building sector was created.

An NDC Partnership Plan for the implementation

of NDC is being now being developed. This

tool will ensure harmonized programming and

synergy of implementation and monitoring of

results in relation to the objectives set. It will

also guide the allocation of existing resources,

identify additional resources to be mobilized and

communicate to the NDC Partnership the specific

needs in terms of service delivery, capacity

building, financing, support and technical

assistance.

GlobalABC Member Resources

- GlobalABC Global Status Reports: www.

globalabc.org

- GBPN – Energy Codes Implementation Portal:

http://www.gbpn.org/laboratory

- IEA EE Training: www.iea.org/training/

- PEEB Programme for Energy Efficiency in

Buildings: https://www.peeb.build/home

- SE for All Buildings Efficiency Accelerator:

http://buildingefficiencyaccelerator.org

- UNEP-DTU Partnership – NDC & NAMA

Implementation Guidance: www.unepdtu.org/

urc-tool-box

- WBCSD Low Carbon Technology Partnerships:

https://lctpi.wbcsd.org

KEY STRATEGIES FOR FINANCING

IMPLEMENTATION

Accessing finance for implementing building sector

mitigation action is one of the most common barriers

to further ambition noted by countries. However,

international financial institutions (IFIs) also face

challenges in meeting the needs and expectations of

governments. For example:

- There are many different financing mechanisms and

instruments for EE in buildings already developed; the

challenge is to match the right instrument or various

instruments combined with the indented EE financing

concept.

- The intended investment needs to be prepared

together with the IFI at the conceptual phase instead

of submitting an already developed financing proposal

to an IFI.

- Different financing lines need to be blended (e.g. some

donor financing with combined GCF, GEF, Green Bonds

etc.).

- The entire value chain of the investment for EE in

buildings, the expected revenues at macro-economic

level and all related co-benefits need to be assessed.

- There is a need for standardized project financing per

building types and measures.

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction

There are also a range of policy barriers to low-carbon

transitions. Energy subsidies such as high electricity

subsidies for households or other sub-sectors could be

reformed to subsidise energy efficiency investments

rather than energy consumption. Re-directing public

budgets to support EE investments will thus, reducing

future energy demand and reduce the overall cost of

energy to households. However, to make such changes

the following analysis is required.

Calculate the costs and benefits of proposed actions

The perceived cost of implementing low-carbon building

strategies is often higher than the actual cost (EIU, 2013).

So, it is important to assess not only first costs, but also

life-cycle costs and benefits of prioritized actions. A cost-

benefit analysis should also consider the lock-in risks of

high emissions building energy consumption, as well as

the climate change risk posed to the buildings sector at

global warming levels above 1.5

Identify investment gaps and market barriers to

implementation

Once costs of building sector actions have been

determined, establish the additional private sector

support needed to bridge any investment gap between

costs and available public-sector funding. A range of

policy measures exist that can encourage private sector

investment. The most fundamental however, is having a

well implemented and ambitious building energy code

and a well-organized policy package, offering incentives

and recognition for going beyond minimum performance

requirements.

Institutionalize a long-term budget

The NDC cycle will run for decades. Building sector

policy actions therefore need to be budgeted for over the

long-term. Research shows that the potential return on

investment to public budgets for establishing ambitious

building energy policies is extremely positive in all global

regions. For example, if a country were to commit of

moving to net zero energy building energy codes as

mandatory by 2020, the payback period in terms of

energy costs to the national budget is around 10 years.

The global average return on implementing policies that

correspond to a below 2oC trajectory is +124% after

2030. According a recent study, focusing on low-hanging

fruit or moderate energy efficiency policies never achieve

a positive return on investment (Urge-Vorsatz et al,

2015). Therefore, long-term commitment, and long-term

planning for building climate actions is essential.

NDC Long-Term Financing Strategies:

Afghanistan plans in to increase access to

financing for green buildings, Bangladesh will

incentivize rainwater harvesting in commercial

buildings. Gambia and South Sudan are planning

direct investment to energy efficient buildings.

Grenada plans to introduce tax incentives to

promote the uptake of P.V. panels, solar hot water

heaters, and installation of more efficient lighting.

Suriname plans on removing tariffs on renewable

energy related products.

Tunisia has established an Energy Transition

Fund in 2014 for supporting its energy transition

agenda and intends developing a carbon market

mechanism to further support mitigation

of emissions from the cement industry and

energy efficiency and renewable energies in the

buildings sector.

Develop a fund-raising strategy by creating a database

of funding priorities of multi-lateral and bi-lateral

donors

One of the key challenges facing parties as they develop

their NDC actions is aligning with appropriate funding

mechanisms for implementation. The NDC Partnership

– a collaboration between GiZ, UNFCCC, the World

Resources Institute and the COP22 in Marrakesh has

created an on-line data-base to help match funding

opportunities with NDC actions. http://ndcpartnership.

org/initiatives-navigator#open-funds-and-initiatives.

There are also online guidelines available for planning

NDC financing strategies such as the Climate

Development Knowledge Network ‘Quick Start Guide’

to planning for NDC implementation. https://www.cdkn.

org/ndc-guide/book/planning-for-ndc-implementation-

a-quick-start-guide/finance/

Market development through facilitating collaboration

between banks, investors, clients and further

stakeholders to open markets that enable NDC actions

to be achieved.

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

Lack of demand for sustainable buildings is often cited as

a barrier to mainstream market uptake. However, markets

require more than just demand and supply to function

well. Markets are dynamic, and require a catalyst and on-

going support to transform, especially when introducing

new ambitious performance requirements for buildings

such as net-zero energy or carbon performance.

According to Energiesprong (2017), creating a new

market for net zero buildings requires:

- Aggregating Demand: working with large property

portfolio owners and/or developers to provide the

market with confidence of sufficiently high-volume

production and creating a pipeline of projects that

demonstrate a market opportunity for the industry to

innovate.

- Coordinating Stakeholders: to jointly develop and

improve the necessary market conditions including

regulation and financing conditions. This requires

a dialogue between local market actors to identify

necessary reform to regulatory and planning

frameworks, and introducing performance criteria for

lending and accessing finance.

- Mobilizing Collective Knowledge: of the construction

sector to innovate on new performance requirements

through projects and supporting programs such as

innovation incubators. Innovation may be a combination

of technical, financial, or in business models – it is

important to keep an open process so as not to pre-

select only a few, or large companies. Innovation among

SME’ sis especially important in the buildings sector.

- Provide Performance Guarantees: New investments in

energy efficiency are often considered high-risk due to

the often relatively long pay-back periods, perception of

higher up-front costs and disaggregated returns. Long-

term performance guarantees are easier to implement

if the performance requirement is net-zero energy

rather than a relative improvement in energy efficiency.

- Encourage third-party assessment and verification: of

energy-efficiency investment projects. Investors are

often cautious about claims of the financial viability of

energy efficiency projects made by project proponents.

This can be overcome by developing clear energy

efficiency project viability guidelines and trained

independent project assessors, that can certify the

quality of project proposals.

- Demonstrate & Scale: by monitoring, maintaining

a community of practice around new innovative

construction supply chains, sharing and promoting

lessons learned and marketing the achieved benefits.

A number of parties have included government-led

energy efficiency retrofitting programs, and procurement

strategies that address some of these elements of

market development and transformation. However, few

have stated an intention to pursue net-zero performance.

With the right strategy, this should be possible in further

NDC revisions.

NDC Market Development Actions

China plans to encourage public institutions

to lead by example and advocate low carbon

buildings, campuses, hospitals, stadiums and

military buildings.

Djibouti plans to fund a program to reduce

the energy consumption of public buildings,

beginning with the retrofit of the Ministerial

building and the installation of a roof top solar

farm connected to the grid. This program is

planned to later extend to all public buildings.

Japan includes provision for remodelling local

government buildings for energy efficiency and

conservation. Similarly, Jordan plans to make

energy-related capital improvements in public

facilities and Ministry buildings.

GlobalABC Member Resources

- UNEP Finance Initiative Responsible Property

Working Group www.unepfi.org/investment/

property/

- Real Estate Investment Framework:

www.unepfi.org/fileadmin/documents/

SustainableRealEstateInvestment.pdf

- Positive Impact Incubator: www.unepfi.org/

positive-impact/positive-impact/

- Energie Sprong http://energiesprong.eu

- Investor Confidence Project www.

eeperformance.org

- Transformative Action Program (TAP) http://

tap-potential.org/

Photo credit: Patrick Bombaert / shutterstock.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

REFERENCES

ECBI (2018) Pocket Guide to NDCs Under the UNFCCC,

European Capacity Building Initiative, UNEP DTU

Partnership, June.

EIU (2013) Energy Efficiency Savings: A view from the

Building Sector, Economist Intelligence Unit and Global

Buildings Performance Network (GBPN).

Energiesprong (2017) Transition Zero EnergieSprong,

April. available online: http://energiesprong.eu/

publication/

Graham, P. Witheridge, J., McNelis, S. (2017) Opportunities

for Collaboration to Improve Building Energy Codes in

APEC Economies in the Asia-Pacific, APEC, October

IEA (2014) Capturing the Multiple Benefits of Energy

Efficiency, International Energy Agency/OECD, October.

International Energy Agency and the United Nations

Environment Programme – IEA/UNEP (2018): 2018

Global Status Report: towards a zero‐emission, efficient

and resilient buildings and construction sector, Global

Alliance for Buildings and Construction, December

IPCC (2014) Assessment Report 5 – Working Group 3

Mitigation of Climate Change Chapter 9 “Buildings”,

Lucon, O. Ürge‐Vorsatz, D. Ahmed,A. Akbari, H., Bertoldi,

P., Cabeza, L. Eyre, N. Gadgil, A. Harvey, D., Yi Jiang,

Liphoto, E. Mirasgedis, S. Murakami, S. Parikh, J., Pyke, C.

Vilariño, M. Graham, P. Petrichenko, K. Eom, J. Kelemen,

A. Krey, V., April. - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change, UNFCCC

RICS (2014) 10 Key Principles of Stakeholder Engagement

the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors and the

Association for Project Management, U.K. available

online: www.apm.org.uk

Roshchanka, V., Evans, M., Graham, P. (2017) “An

International Survey of Building Energy Codes and Their

Implementation” Journal of Cleaner Production Vol.158

pp382-389

United Nations Environment Programme(2016) Global

Status Report 2016, Towards a zero-emission, efficient

and resilient buildings and construction sector,

UN Environment, Global Alliance for Buildings and

Construction, November

United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP (2017)

Global Status Report 2017, Towards a zero-emission,

efficient and resilient buildings and construction sector,

UN Environment, Global Alliance for Buildings and

Construction, November

UNEP (2017a) Emissions Gap Report 2017, United

Nations Environment Program, November.

UNFCCC (2018) Technical Examination Process on

Mitigation (TEP-M), Concept Note for the Technical

Expert Meetings on Mitigation (TEMs-M) 2018, May.

Urge-Vorsatz, D. Reith, A, (2015) Monetary Benefits of

Ambitious Building Energy Policies, Global Buildings

Performance Network, January

COUNTRY PROFILES

ARGENTINA �� 41

CAMEROON

�� 42

MEXICO

�� 43

MONGOLIA

�� 44

MOROCCO

�� 45

SENEGAL

�� 47

TUNISIA

�� 48

Photo credit: CC0 / freepik.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

HOW ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN FOR THE NDC:

In order to carry out the revision of the NDC, in 2016

through Decree 891, the National Cabinet of Climate

Change (GNCC) was created, which is integrated by

national ministries and secretariats, all organized in a

consensual work in technical-political tables. Among its

objectives, is the definition of climate change policies

at the national level, as well as at the subnational level

through joint work with COFEMA. In this framework, three

Sectoral Action Plans on Climate Change for Energy,

Forests and Transport have been developed. Argentina

is currently developing the Production, Agro-Industry

and Infrastructure Plans. (Infographics: https://www.

argentina.gob.ar/ambiente/sustentabilidad/planes-

sectoriales). In this sense, the actions of the construction

sector were developed within the framework of the work

tables of the NDC revision and later, in the development

of the Sectoral Action Plans.

BUILDING

SECTOR ACTIONS

THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT

NOT INCLUDED

There are possibly

further actions in the

building sector that

can be incorporated

after the technical

analysis of all

interested parties

(public and private

sector).

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

After an analysis work, the mitigation measures were

identified and developed in conjunction with the Energy

and Production Authority. Each agency was responsible

for carrying out the technical analysis in conjunction with

the National Directorate of Climate Change, and with the

participation of chambers and related associations.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

Within the National Directorate of Climate Change, a joint

work-group is being developed within the framework of

the GNCC, by developing the monitoring of mitigation

measures and the generation of progress indicators. This

work is materialized within sectoral action plans where

barriers, possible instruments and financing needs are

identified, as well as the form of monitoring.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

The barriers faced are diverse and are related to: difficulty

of technological development, scarce financing, lack of

training and dissemination, operational complexity for

the implementation of some measures or need to update,

modify or create legislation according to the new needs,

among others.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING AMBITION

One of the main challenges is based on promoting the

growth and development of the national industry and

continuing to deepen climate policies. Another objective

is related to adaptation to reduce vulnerability and deal

with the impacts of climate change.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Cooperation could be financial, human resources and

training, legal (regarding the support needed to have

adequate legislation) or, for example, support in relation

to fiscal incentives for the implementation of sectoral

measures.

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Within the Action Plan of the Energy sector, the measure

of “thermal envelope” focuses on the reduction of energy

consumption during use. On the other hand, within

the Action Plan of the Industry sector, the measure of

“industrialized construction systems” is based on the use

of non-conventional materials to reduce the consumption

of steel, water and energy in housing construction. This

measure is associated with certain aspects that must

be considered for gradual mitigation, such as the lack

of trained personnel and the diffusion of alternative

construction technologies.

ARGENTINA

Photo credit: CC0 / dwell.com

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction

NDC COMMITMENTS:

- Revise building codes to improve energy performance

by thermal standards of construction and renovation,

and a certification process.

- Train and organize the entire value chain toward low

consumption construction

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

Introducing building energy codes and capacity building

will improve resource conservation in the buildings

& construction sector, and help address Cameroon’s

resource availability limitations.

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

A low level of awareness and industry capability in

sustainable building in Cameroon contributed to limiting

the scope of actions to the introduction of building

energy codes.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Cameroon consulted relevant government agencies, the

professional institutions of Architecture, Engineering,

Urban Planning and Topographers in order to decide on

the actions included in its NDC.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

Responsibility for implementing and monitoring buildings

sector actions is shared between the Ministry of Habitat,

and the Ministry of the Environment & Sustainable

Development.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

Lack of financial resources, low awareness of actors.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING

AMBITION

Making energy efficiency a national priority & reduce

energy consumption in urban centres.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Technical and financial support; capacity building of

actors.

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Further education and training program for actors

in adopting new Cameroonian standards. Making

standards mandatory and popularize their use.

CAMEROON

Photo credit: Middle Africa / flickr.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

“Without implementation of effective energy efficiency

measures, the IEA expects total residential and services

buildings annual emissions to reach 124 MtCO2e by

2050, which would be almost 115 percent higher than

buildings emissions levels in 2010 (exclusive of non-GHG

emissions, such as local air pollutants and hazardous

fumes, from traditional biomass use in residential

cooking and heating) (IEA 2013).”- cited in PEEB, 2018

NDC COMMITMENTS:

Mexico includes the construction sector in its scope of

energy-related mitigation actions.

- Encourages the construction of sustainable buildings

and the transformation towards energy-efficient and

low-carbon footprint sustainable cities;

- Promote residential use of solar panels and heaters;

It also considers adaptation measures by applying

specifications for environmental protection and

adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change

in the planning, design, construction, operation and

abandonment of tourism facilities in coastal ecosystems.

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

Achieves large energy savings or CO

emissions

mitigation goals.

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

Housing emissions are included in a set of residential

and commercial actions. The contributions per program

are not specified exactly. It is also necessary to include

housing renovation actions that are being implemented.

Actions being taken by the private sector are also not

included in the NDC.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Architects, environmentalists, engineers, public policy

makers were consulted.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

Implementation is led and monitored through the Special

Climate Change Program (PECC). Mexico has designed

robust monitoring schemes within the framework of the

NAMAs for Housing (New and Existing) that are in the

process of being implemented through existing.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

The lack of financing for expansion, lack of coordination

among institutions, insufficient promotion of programs,

lack of monitoring of actions in the buildings sector.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING AMBITION

Expansion to all housing, especially those not subject

to government subsidies and the ability to effectively

monitor the entire residential and building sector. Also

know the park of buildings in Mexico.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Instruments of professionalisation of the housing

sector, greater installed local capacities to permanently

update the programs, development of sustainable

housing certificate and deployment at the national level.

Financing and a unified mechanism for measurement of

emissions, and will of all parties for the measurement is

needed.

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Mexico are expanding the spectrum of application of

sustainable housing programs, first towards a retrofit,

and second, expansion to sectors not directly served by

government programs. They also intend to generate new

building codes as well as encourage subsidies gradually

in buildings.

** For a detailed case study – refer to the Report: Integration of GHG

emission mitigation actions of the building sector into the Nationally

Determined Contributions (NDCs)” - 2018

A study for the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB).

MEXICO

Photo credit: Thelmadatter / wikipedia.org

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction

MONGOLIA

NDC COMMITMENTS:

Reduce building heat loss by 20% by 2020 and by 40% by

2030, compared to 2014 levels.

Improved insulation for existing panel apartment

buildings of 18,184 households in Ulaanbaatar.

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

Achieves large energy savings or CO

emissions

mitigation goals

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

No other actions were considered for the NDC.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Building energy efficiency centre, building energy experts,

professors from the technical university were engaged in

determining the building sector actions included in the NDC.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

Mongolia is implementing actions using a project-based

approach. They plan Insulation improvements of old

apartment buildings; efficiency improvement of heating

system; installation of heat meters.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

Institutional barriers such as management and

coordination between responsible ministries and

agencies.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING

AMBITION

The logistics of projects requiring installation of

insulation and heat meters for individual households

located in apartments.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Technical support to build capacity to analyse the actual

cost of heat production and distribution from CHP and

the development of a reasonable tariff structure.

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Expand to the construction of green buildings.

Photo credit: Ayan Travel / tripadvisor.fr

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

“The building sector in Morocco includes residential

and tertiary buildings (Kingdom of Morocco, 2016a). The

residential buildings are all buildings used for dwelling

purposes such as traditional Moroccan houses, single

houses (villas) and multi-apartment buildings. The

tertiary buildings include hotels, buildings dedicated

to education, hospitals, and administrative buildings.

Buildings that house industrial facilities are not

considered here, as they are included under the industrial

sector. Total energy consumption of the building sector

in Morocco was estimated at 14,951 KTEP in 2015 (SEED,

2018). Total direct GHG emissions were estimated at

8,471 Kt CO

e for the residential sub-sector and 605 kt

e for the commercial and institutional sub-sectors in

2012 according to the Biennial Update Report (Kingdom

of Morocco, 2016b).” – PEEB, 2018

NDC COMMITMENTS:

Reduce energy consumption in buildings, industry,

and transport by 12% by 2020 and 15% by 2030. “The

breakdown of expected energy savings per sector

are: 48 % for industry, 23 % for transport, 19 % for

residential buildings and 10 % for the tertiary sector”

– PEEB, 2018. Under the new 2030 Energy Efficiency

Strategy,theenergy savingsobjectivesare5 % by 2020

and 20% by 2030.

“The building sector mitigation actions proposed under

the NDC will reduce Morocco’s GHG emissions by 38.4

Mt CO2 by 2030. The mitigation effort of the residential

and tertiary sector is 7.6% in 2020-2030 and8.3% in 2030

(a cumulated reduction of 523.493 Mt CO2e is the NDC

target for the period 2020-2030”). – PEEB, 2018

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

Achieves large energy savings or CO

emissions

mitigation goals.

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

The NDC has been content with measurable actions

in terms of GHG mitigation and energy saving. Several

actions have not been included including: Actions related

to the adaptation to Climate Change in the building

sector; Use of low carbon building materials; The energy

upgrade of existing buildings.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

A broad consultation process with all relevant

stakeholders during the preparation of the NDC was

undertaken. Institutional, national and international

experts, and representatives of the private sector were

consulted as part of this process.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

As part of World Bank support for the implementation

of Morocco’s NDC, a modelling study was conducted,

which assessed the different options available for policy

reforms to achieve optimally, the NDC’s energy efficiency

objectives in the building sector. A roadmap for the

implementation of the NDC which concerns all the sectors

listed in the NDC and in particular the building sector was

developed; Under the NDC Partnership, a Partnership Plan

for the implementation of NDC is being developed. This

tool will ensure harmonized programming and synergy

of implementation and monitoring of results in relation

to the objectives set. It will also guide the allocation of

existing resources, identify additional resources to be

mobilized and communicate to the NDC Partnership

the specific needs in terms of service delivery, capacity

building, financing, support and technical assistance.

MOROCCO

GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

The multitude of stakeholders involved in the planning,

implementation and implementation of energy efficiency

projects in the building sector; The difficulty of setting up

an MRV system to monitor energy efficiency projects in

the building; The lack of financial mechanisms to finance

the extra cost generated by energy efficiency measures

in the building sector.

Greatest Challenges to Increasing Ambition

Energy efficiency for building envelopes (providing

financing, control and monitoring of the application of

building thermal regulations).

Support Needs

Accompanying the NDC actions, help developing an

assembly of bankable projects to submit to climate

finance and which will stimulate the market; Mobilization

of financing for the setting up and implementation of

large-scale energy efficiency programs in the building

sector; The establishment of an MRV system to monitor

the implementation of NDC projects.

Further Actions Planned to Contribute to the NDC

Generalization of labelling and minimum energy

performance for all household equipment; Energy

upgrading of existing buildings; Environmental

requirements for building materials; Revision of the

thermal regulations to include the active aspect

(equipment) and ventilation.

** For a detailed case study – refer to the Report: “Integrated

approach for mitigation actions in the building sector for supporting

the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) implementation”-

2018

A Study for the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB).

Photo credit: Foster + Partners / inhabitat.com

NDC Guide 1st Edition December 2018

NDC COMMITMENTS:

Pass regulation requiring companies to carry out

energy audits and energy supply studies and to improve

performance of building energy performance from 5% to

15%.

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

The buildings sector actions included in the NDC were

selected because:

- They align with actions being demonstrated in the

building sector. The existing projects aim to reduce

greenhouse gas emissions in the building and to

the technology transfer project for the production of

building materials based on Typha.

- They involve the private sector real estate sector and

the public sector.

- They reduce building-related GHG emissions and

generate employment.

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

No other actions were considered for the NDC.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

Senegal consulted extensively with the private sector

including all professions especially architects, the private

and public real estate sector and businesses.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

A number of measures are being used to facilitate

awareness-raising and training actions, energy

consumption measures, development of new materials,

incentives, regulations and support for promoters.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

Lack of incentives and financing for the implementation

of actions in the building sector and the cost of

implementation of the regulations.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING

AMBITION

The most difficult objectives to achieve are the

mobilization of the market in the social sector due to the

high costs of housing construction in general.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Financing, training, and support for the implementation

of the regulations.

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Senegal is planning to include the development of bio-

based materials and regulations and demonstrations in

NDC updates.

SENEGAL

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GlobalABC – The Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction

NDC COMMITMENTS:

Energy Efficiency contributing to overall target to decrease

primary energy demand by 30% by 2030 compared to

2010, including renewable energy in the building sector,

and the use of carbon market mechanisms to support

building energy efficiency programmes.

HOW BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS ARE CHOSEN

FOR THE NDC:

- Achieves large energy savings or CO2 emissions

mitigation goals.

- NDC actions are forecast to generate 58000 jobs, 75%

of which will be in the Building sector. Source: INDC

Tunisia – accessed online: https://www4.unfccc.

int/sites/submissions/INDC/Submission%20Pages/

submissions.aspx

BUILDING SECTOR ACTIONS THAT WERE

CONSIDERED BUT NOT INCLUDED.

- None.

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The Ministry of Equipment, Housing and Territorial

Development, Technical Centers in the building field,

The Tunisian Order of Engineers, Order of Architects

and the National Union Chambers in the fields of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

IMPLEMENTATION & MONITORING

Implementation action plans for Energy Efficiency

and Renewable Energy programs, are approved by the

Government. A monitoring Information system (EnerInfo)

is being developed to monitor the implementation.

Applies MRV systems developed in NAMAs.

BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION

Institutional, regulatory, financial, human capacity

building barriers.

GREATEST CHALLENGES TO INCREASING

AMBITION

Objectives related to passive energy efficiency actions in

the building sector.

SUPPORT NEEDS

Technical Assistance, Capacity Building, Financing

(Enhanced Lines of Credit, and access to funding)

FURTHER ACTIONS PLANNED TO CONTRIBUTE

TO THE NDC

Tunisia plan to implement new actions in the building

sector on the basis of results achieved and new

opportunities identified. They plan to also extend actions

to include:

- Energy Demand Reduction Objectives

- Increase in Building-Integrated Renewable Energy

Supply

- Phase-out of Ineffective Building Components and

Equipment

- Building Energy Rehabilitation Regulatory

- New “Green Building” Standards & New Building Energy

Codes

- Education and Training Programs Training

- Investment and Financing Programs

- Renovation and Modernization Programs.

TUNISIA

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www.unenvironment.org

United Nations Environment Programme

P.O. Box 30552 Nairobi, Kenya

Tel.: ++254-(0)20-762 1234 | Fax: ++254-(0)20-762 3927

E-mail: [email protected]