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WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero Status Report 2022 Acknowledgements Advancing Net Zero Global Programme Team Victoria Kate Burrows Director, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Harris Chan Programme Officer, Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Matthew Black Programme Coordinator, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Ivett Flores Programme Coordinator Latin America (LatAm), Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Rebecca Dilnot Programme Officer, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Kirsty Portelli Marketing and Communications Officer, Advancing Net Zero, World Green Building Council Global Programme Funders PAGE 02
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Foreword WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero Status Report 2022 Cristina Gamboa CEO, World Green Building Council Despite the latest IPCC report’s warning that current national pledges are still not ambitious enough to stop global warming exceeding 1.5°C, I see signs of hope emerging from our sector. 2022 marks World Green Building Council’s (WorldGBC) 20 years anniversary. What started out as six founding Green Building Councils (GBCs) has grown into a network of over 70 and their 36,000 members. And in the past 12 months, I have witnessed new heights of collaboration across our network. For the first time since COP21 in Paris, COP26 saw a day dedicated to the untapped potential of the built environment on the global climate stage. Led by WorldGBC and the Building to COP Coalition, we worked with the UN High Level Climate Champions and the UK government to bring together leaders from private and public sectors to strengthen climate ambition at the ‘Cities, Regions and Built Environment Day’ on 11 November 2021. The day also marked the announcement of 26 climate action initiatives and more than 130 events to accelerate collaboration across the built environment value chain. Tackling whole life carbon was brought into the mainstream with the launch of UK Green Building Council’s Whole Life Carbon Roadmap, developed through WorldGBC’s #BuildingLife project. We also welcomed 44 signatories to WorldGBC’s updated Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, which now addresses whole life carbon. And ministers, city mayors and CEOs declared the critical role our sector can play in mitigating and adapting to climate change. These growing demand signals for more ambitious climate action were also profiled in two major WorldGBC publications: Beyond the Business Case demonstrates seven irrefutable co-benefits for investing in a sustainable built environment, and Beyond Buildings highlights the need to accelerate transformation in global infrastructure as part of a holistic approach to sustainability. A critical driver for this work is our global programme, Advancing Net Zero (ANZ), and its mission to raise the bar for industry climate action. Alongside the pioneering work of the programme’s 30 participating Green Building Councils, partners, and Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment signatories, we are making global impact through local action. As we build on last year’s momentum and continue our relentless advocacy efforts ahead of upcoming high- level climate conferences, like COP27 in Egypt, we will continue to strengthen our collaborative efforts with industry, sub-national and national governments to accelerate sustainable built environments for everyone, everywhere. PAGE 03
