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Unlocking New Opportunities for Carbon Neutrality in China’s Building Sector
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Achieving a net-zero building sector is critical to China’s carbon neutrality. In 2022, the building sector was responsible for 32 percent of the country’s CO2 emissions. While emissions have plateaued since 2014, the continued growth of the sector underscores the need for immediate action to decouple emissions from expansion. As major consumers of energy and significant users of industrial materials, buildings play a key role in the transition to net zero, not only supporting the goal of carbon neutrality, but also improving quality of life, promoting social equity, and contributing to a green economy.
This report provides sector-level analyses of opportunities to decarbonize China’s building sector to achieve carbon neutrality. It identifies key opportunities in four areas:
- Decarbonizing operational emissions by increasing building energy flexibility and implementing zero-carbon heating solutions
- Addressing embodied carbon by adopting low-carbon procurement practices and scaling up bio-based materials
- Driving a new growth model by integrating and scaling up high-potential technologies, innovating business models, synergizing value chain actors, and mobilizing market mechanisms
- Improving equity and inclusion by scaling up low-carbon solutions in affordable housing, old neighborhoods, and rural buildings
Over the next decade, growth opportunities for China’s building sector will be driven by both new green buildings and low-carbon retrofits of existing buildings. The next 5–10 years will be critical in moving China’s building sector toward carbon neutrality. With increasing building floor space and energy demand, it is imperative to accelerate the adoption of carbon-neutral technologies and address supply chain, cost, and market acceptance challenges. This report provides actionable near-term recommendations to prepare the sector for the transition from peak to net zero.
Special thanks to the Quadrature Climate Foundation’s support of this report.
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