UNFCCC Urges Integrated Data and Finance Strategies to Scale Climate Technologies for Buildings and Infrastructure
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
At the June UN Climate Meetings in Bonn, the UNFCCC’s Technology Mechanism - together with GlobalABC and MIT’s Climate Policy Center - hosted a side event emphasizing the urgent need to scale climate technologies in buildings and infrastructure, as buildings account for nearly one-third of global CO₂ emissions, and their transformation offers rapid, cost-effective action. Sophie De Coninck (UN Climate Change) called for an integrated approach combining policy, technology, data, and finance.
Brazil’s COP30 representative urged that COP30 be “a COP of cities,” recognizing that rising climate risks are concentrated in fast-growing urban areas. MIT showcased data-driven digital tools that model energy use and retrofit potential across millions of buildings; these tools are being tailored for global use, including in India, to empower decisions on retrofits and emissions reductions. GlobalABC highlighted a toolkit of over 1,500 ready-to-deploy, cost-effective solutions. Financial stakeholders underscored the need for market-enabling conditions - such as performance standards and digital building passports - to reduce investment risk, especially in informal settlements and the Global South.
The Technology Executive Committee will develop policy briefs ahead of its September meeting to guide action on buildings and infrastructure.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: How can India adopt data-driven retrofit tools, policy-enabled finance, and ready-to-deploy technology toolkits to accelerate low-carbon upgrades in its urban building stock and informal settlements?
Follow the full news here:
https://unfccc.int/news/accelerating-climate-technologies-for-buildings-and-infrastructure