Buildings and Climate Change: Status Challenges and Opportunities

The building sector contributes up to 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from energy use during the life time of buildings. The present report describes sources and distribution of greenhouse gas emissions across different stages and functions of buildings, and the technical measures available for their reduction. The report also reviews the relevance of some regional and international agreements to the building sector to curb greenhouse gas emissions, in particular the Kyoto Protocol. Publishing Agency: United Nations Environment Programme.