INTRODUCTION Buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of carbon emissions in Europe 1 . These emissions take place not only when a building is in operation but at every stage of its lifecycle from manufacturing through to demolition. As buildings become increasingly energy efficient, embodied carbon will account for a greater proportion of carbon emissions from both the construction of new buildings and renovation. Meeting the EU’s climate change obligations under the Paris Agreement, including the EU Green Deal’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and Fit for 55, requires policymakers to introduce measures that address the Whole Life Carbon (WLC) impact - both operational and embodied carbon - of buildings. As EU lawmakers begin to introduce WLC reporting and eventually targets into building regulations such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), both the building sector value chain and governments across Europe will need detailed guidance on how this transition will work in practice. To this end, this paper sets out WorldGBC Europe’s position on three key topics of particular importance: 1 In focus: Energy efficiency in buildings, European Commission, 2020 1 The Harmonisation and Standardisation of WLC metrics 2 Defining the Physical Scope of a building for WLC assessments 3 The Architecture of WLC targets
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