The share of the global population living in cities is continuously increasing and it is estimated that by 2050 nearly 70 percent of people will live in urban areas. Buildings constitute an essential part of these rapidly growing urban landscapes and provide the space for various activities. Buildings and construction account for 36% of global final energy use and 39% of energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (including upstream power generation) with 82% of this energy being supplied by fossil fuels.
While national governments are working on incorporating requirements for improving energy efficiency in the building sector into their policies (132 out of 195 countries included measures in the building sector into their NDCs), local governments are also taking initiative to implement energy efficiency actions.
The Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (Copenhagen Centre) supports city governments around the world in identifying opportunities for improving energy efficiency in different sectors as the first step in developing bankable projects and attracting investments.
The Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) is a public-private collaboration which offers the assistance and global expertise of its partnership network to accelerate local government implementation of building efficiency policies and programs.
The Copenhagen Centre and BEA have a long history of collaboration in the field of energy efficiency in buildings. Under this collaboration, the Copenhagen Centre and BEA are conducting high-level assessments for targeted countries and cities, as a starting point for initiating more in-depth work on developing related policies and projects.
In 2018, such assessments are being prepared for:
- Vietnam and Danang
- Kenya and Nairobi
- Colombia and Cali
- Mexico and Sonora (upcoming)
