{"id":101842,"date":"2021-11-15T15:44:42","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T15:44:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=101842"},"modified":"2021-11-15T15:44:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T15:44:42","slug":"cop26-construction-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/energy-news\/cop26-construction-2\/101842\/","title":{"rendered":"COP26: Week two construction highlights"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the final week of the COP26 climate conference<\/a> draws to a close, and world leaders begin to finalise plans, we take a look at what the takeaways of the summit mean for the construction sector as the industry moves towards a sustainable future<\/h2>\n

Urban Climate Action Programme<\/h3>\n

Early in the week, the UK pledged \u00a327.5m of new funding for the new Urban Climate Action Programme (UCAP) to support cities targeting net zero<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Urban infrastructure<\/a> is responsible for around 40% of global emissions, and as the demand for new housing rises, a sustainable solution to our expanding cities has never been more important.<\/p>\n

The programme which is funded through International Climate Finance, will support cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America to create a sustainable future, by helping them implement climate action plans to become carbon neutral by 2050 and prepare low-carbon infrastructure<\/a> projects to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n

The programme will help cities to implement sustainable urban developments, through projects such as low-emission transport systems, climate-smart buildings, and climate risk planning.<\/p>\n

The UCAP will be delivered in partnership with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of cities focused on climate action, and GIZ, the German development agency.<\/p>\n

The agreement aims to build on the Climate Leadership in Cities programme established in the 2015 Paris Agreement, by developing pathways to net-zero by 2050 and committing to interim targets by 2030 to keep 1.5 degrees within reach.<\/p>\n

Urban sustainability \u2018vital\u2019 to climate goal<\/h3>\n

Commenting on this, business and energy minister Lord Callanan, said:\u201d From our homes and workplaces to our towns and cities, the buildings we live in are a fundamental part of our daily lives, but also a significant source of global emissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why at COP26 today we are calling on cities, regions, governments and businesses to seize the moment and set bold net zero targets as we work together as a global community to end our contribution to climate change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe world\u2019s urban buildings, including homes, workplaces, schools and hospitals, are responsible for around 40% of global carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 2050, 1.6 billion people living in cities will be regularly exposed to extremely high temperatures and over 800 million people living in cities across the world will be vulnerable to sea level rises and coastal flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccelerating the transition to net-zero emissions for the world\u2019s cities will therefore be vital to achieving the goal of keeping global warming to close to 1.5 degrees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tackling climate change locally<\/h3>\n

The fight for our climate goes beyond the summit, as many local areas come together to tackle climate change.<\/p>\n

Local climate schemes include:<\/h4>\n