www.buildingsandcities.org/insights/news/cop27-expectations.html

COP27 Expectations

COP27 Expectations

For COP27, Buildings & Cities presents a series of short, learned commentaries from the built environment community that are primarily aimed at policy makers. These essays reveal the diversity of issues that need to be embraced and, most importantly, point to constructive approaches to climate action.

The range of topics goes from overarching issues (e.g. overconsumption, multilevel governance, intergenerational equity, climate justice, nature-based solutions - to mention only a few) to more specific issues at the levels of cities and buildings. Lessons and actions can be drawn for different actors in central and local governments, the construction industry supply side, NGOs, higher education and civil society.

Each essay focuses and discusses one vital outcome that is needed from COP27 relating to the built environment. This can be a direct aspect of what should be agreed at COP27 or the impact of COP27 at the national or local levels. A variety of perspectives are presented - from different disciplines, geographies and scales. Taken together, this provides a powerful overview of overarching policy issues and the necessary strategic / practical actions at the societal, urban and building levels.

The Launch of SURGe at COP27: Breakthrough or Déjà Vu?

By Jeroen van der Heijden (Victoria University of Wellington)

COP27: A Step Ahead or a Missed Opportunity?

By Sergio Altomonte (Université catholique de Louvain) & Carlo Altomonte (Bocconi University)

Kasubi Local Development Association: making energy briquettes from recycled organic waste. Photo: Kareem Buyana

By Kareem Buyana (Makerere University)

COP27: Multilateral Approaches are Vital for Urban Climate Actions

By Rajan Rawal (CEPT University)

COP27: Accelerate Climate Action through Government-Community Partnerships

By Mahendra Gooroochurn (University of Mauritius)

Satellite view of Cairo at night

By Liane Thuvander (Chalmers University) and Heba A.E.E. Khalil (Cairo University)

Latest Commentaries

The current situation is implausible: there are pledges for 2030 but no roadmaps for their fulfilment over time. Image: Giovanna Cassavia (TU Graz).

To achieve net zero GHG emissions by mid-century (the Breakthrough Agenda) it is vital to establish explicit sector-specific roadmaps and targets. With an eye to the forthcoming COP30 in Brazil and based on work in the IEA EBC Annex 89, Thomas Lützkendorf, Greg Foliente and Alexander Passer argue why specific goals and measures for building, construction and real estate are needed in the forthcoming round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0).

A session from a participatory drawing workshop at the Rumi Library, led by Sadia Sharmin in 2019

While Living Labs are often framed as structured, institutionalised spaces for innovation, Sadia Sharmin (Habitat Forum Berlin) reinterprets the concept through the lens of grassroots urban practices. She argues that self-organised knowledge spaces can function as Living Labs by fostering situated learning, collective agency, and community resilience. The example of a Living Lab in Bangladesh provides a model pathway to civic participation and spatial justice.