Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP27)- November 2022

 

The 27th iteration of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) is slated for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, from November 7 to November 18, 2022.

The State of the Climate in Africa 2020 is a report that was published by the World Meteorological Organization and its collaborators.

According to the analysis, up to 118 million severely poor Africans may experience drought, floods, and excessive heat by 2030. This highlights the continent's disproportionate susceptibility. As a result, efforts to reduce poverty and boost the economy would stop, leaving more people in extreme poverty. estimates that by 2030, up to 118 million extremely poor Africans will be vulnerable to drought, floods, and excessive heat, warning of the continent's disproportionate susceptibility. As a result, efforts to reduce poverty and promote economic growth will be hampered, leading to an increase in the number of people living in deep poverty.

According to the report, Sub-Saharan Africa will need to invest between $30 and $50 billion annually, or roughly two to three percent of GDP, in climate adaptation over the course of the next ten years. This amount is sufficient to promote economic growth and job creation while giving priority to a sustainable and green recovery.

The COP27 summit will progress international climate negotiations, spur action, and offer a crucial chance to look at how climate change is affecting Africa.

The Role of Construction in Climate Change

Climate change and global warming are occurring in the modern world at an alarming rate. The extraction of natural resources for building materials uses energy, harms the environment, and contributes to global warming, among other things.

In both industrialized and developing countries, the primary drivers of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use are construction and the built environment. As a result, significant changes must be made in the manner that materials are created, consumed, and energy is conserved. Immediate advice on the use of renewable resources, as well as recycling and reusing building materials, is essential.

Sustainability has lately changed from a trend to a necessity due to the AEC industry's role as one of the primary contributors to climate change. Now there is a real chance for manufacturers, engineers, and architects to actively contribute to improving society.

Recent years have also seen a rise in the need for ecologically friendly building, particularly the development of smart cities.

Even though building and construction-related emissions were significantly decreased in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19-induced global lockout, trends are once more accelerating. Consequently, "emissions will keep rising and contribute to calamitous climate change," the UN said.

Construction and Global Climate Change

• About 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from this industry (WBCSD 2018). The materials utilized, as well as the heating, cooling, and lighting of buildings and infrastructure, are the main sources of these emissions.
• In 2019, CO2 emissions rose to 9.95 GtCO2. When building construction industry emissions are included, the sector is responsible for 38% of all energy-related CO2 emissions.
• To reach net zero carbon building stock by 2050, direct building CO2 emissions must be cut in half by 2030.
• According to UNEP’s annual Emissions Gap Report 2020, the globe is still on track to experience a temperature rise of more than 3°C this century, despite a decline in carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic.
• A recent UN report presents a gloomy picture of the state of the environment, noting that the building industry was responsible for 37% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

In recent times we have also witnessed a growing demand for environmentally sensitive construction, specifically the creation of Smart Cities

Despite the fact that the Covid-19-induced global lockout drastically reduced building and construction-related emissions in 2020, trends are once again on the rise. According to the UN, this means that “emissions will keep rising and contribute to disastrous climate change.”

 

COP27 and the Road to Sustainability

We must take swift action to reduce carbon emissions, which represent about 40% of world emissions. We must convey this information to countries at COP27 in order to persuade them to pass regulations and other actions that will considerably lower the sector's carbon footprint.

The COP27 summit is a fantastic chance to show support for one another in the face of an existential threat that can only be stopped by well-coordinated action and effective implementation.

The delayed adoption and adaptation of technical improvements in the worldwide construction industry has earned it a bad reputation. The construction industry needs to start promptly tackling society's most challenging environmental and sustainability issues if we want to attain net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

AEC organizations and their leaders need to acquire competencies and skills that can make them more effective and sustainable. There is no right time to do this, the Right Time is Now.