IEA Annex 89 - Ways to implement net-zero whole life carbon buildings

With a share of 37% of the global GHG emissions, the construction, maintenance and operation of buildings has a key role to help meet the 2015 COP21 Paris Agreement, which focused on achieving the overarching goal of limiting temperature increase. The International Energy Agen-cy emphasised that to achieve net-zero carbon emission buildings by 2050 it is important to increase the renovation rate, the number of heat pumps, the number of BIPV-systems, the share of renewables and to reduce the energy and electricity demand of the building. But these measures, along with other climate adaptation and resilience solutions, affect material and en-ergy flows and potentially further contribute to embodied carbon of buildings. Legally binding requirements to limit the whole life carbon of new constructions and refurbishments of existing buildings should be set and ambitious climate mitigation and adaptation, or whole life decar-bonisation, pathways should be established to support the transition to a climate-neutral socie-ty. Annex 89 will pursue the above aspiration by supporting the key stakeholders and decision-makers in developing and implementing effective Paris-goal compatible schemes and solutions to achieve NetZ-WLC buildings at multiple scales, through the following work program: (i) de-veloping guidelines and recommendations on establishing whole life carbon targets for the building and real estate sector at various scales and perspectives and identifying critical carbon reduction pathways and actions; (ii) establishing Paris-goal compatible assessment frameworks and evaluating the suitability and application(s) of different assessment methods to achieve NetZ-WLC buildings at various scales; (iii) mapping and assessing the relevance and effectiveness of a range of tools, aids and instruments available to different stakeholders in their decision-making contexts and objective(s); (iv) understanding the conditions that are conducive for in-practice uptake and more effective implementation of context-based solutions and actions by key stakeholders; and (v) ensuring efficient and effective engagement and knowledge exchange with diverse stakeholder groups and disseminating Annex 89 outputs that maximise opportuni-ties to “get it to the ground” – from local to global scale. The ambitious project is being implemented by 84 experts from 27 countries under Austrian leadership.