As we approach the UN CBD COP 17 in October and the UNFCCC COP 31 in November, it is an important moment to reflect on the actions needed to accelerate progress towards achieving a net-zero and nature-positive future. The built environment is one of the key areas with sustainable transformation potential, particularly in urban centres. Given the sector’s massive footprint – accounting for around 40% of carbon emissions and often relying on environmentally harmful materials – the built environment is a major global contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss. Transforming the built environment requires not only ambition but also a change in how sustainability is understood, valued and implemented throughout society.
So, how do we do it? The conversations we had at the Sydney Climate Action Week session on ‘Building to Zero: Making Sustainability “Normal” in the Built Environment’ highlighted that the solutions already exist. What is needed now is to make sustainable and nature-based solutions the default, financially rewarded and legally mandated way, instead of the exception. In other words, these solutions need to become the “norm”.
The global ambitions agreed through the COPs must be turned into preferred actions at the local level, where government commitments are welcomed and well implemented. Without mainstreaming sustainable practices, they will continue to be regarded as niche or optional.
By embedding sustainability into everyday decisions, we can create the shifts needed to build the resilient, zero-carbon communities our future depends on.