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T1 Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future - Key Messages
T2 Informe del PNUMA sobre el Índice de Desperdicio de Alimentos 2024: Mensajes clave
T2 Message clés – Les matériaux de construction et le climat : Construire un nouveau futur
T2 КЛЮЧЕВЫЕ СООБЩЕНИЯ — Строительные материалы и климат: построение нового будущего
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
K1 building material
K1 climate
YR 2023
FD 2023-09
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/43377
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/43377
NO This document highlights the urgent need to decarbonise building materials, which are projected to become the main source of emissions in the construction sector as operational carbon levels fall. It calls for a full lifecycle approach that considers environmental, health and ecosystem impacts from extraction to demolition. The text highlights the potential for emerging economies to bypass carbon-intensive practises, while industrialised countries focus on retrofitting existing buildings. Nature-based solutions, such as green surfaces, are emphasised for their benefits in energy conservation, water management and biodiversity. Three integrated strategies — avoiding unnecessary extraction through circular economy principles, switching to renewable bio-based materials and improving the decarbonisation of conventional materials such as cement, steel and aluminium — are presented as essential.
NO This document highlights the urgent need to decarbonise building materials, which are projected to become the main source of emissions in the construction sector as operational carbon levels fall. It calls for a full lifecycle approach that considers environmental, health and ecosystem impacts from extraction to demolition. The text highlights the potential for emerging economies to bypass carbon-intensive practises, while industrialised countries focus on retrofitting existing buildings. Nature-based solutions, such as green surfaces, are emphasised for their benefits in energy conservation, water management and biodiversity. Three integrated strategies — avoiding unnecessary extraction through circular economy principles, switching to renewable bio-based materials and improving the decarbonisation of conventional materials such as cement, steel and aluminium — are presented as essential.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 16, 2026