Over 40 Countries Align Climate Goals with Sustainable Building Policies Ahead of COP30

London, 23 October 2025 – The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has announced sweeping global progress in aligning national climate commitments with the buildings sector, as more than 40 countries have now adopted its NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings to strengthen their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

Since its launch in June 2025, the Scorecard has catalysed a wave of cross-sector collaboration — sparking 50 national workshops, engaging 1,100+ stakeholders from government, industry and finance, and generating 150 policy recommendations across 19 countries. These efforts have already produced 16 National Action Plans, with several countries integrating new or improved building policies into their NDCs — directly advancing low-carbon construction, energy efficiency, and resilience on a global scale.

Real Policy Change on the Ground

The Scorecard has already translated ambition into tangible action. In Brazil, two new national policies have been developed; in Chile, five regulatory instruments have been embedded into the updated NDC3.0 framework; and Morocco has incorporated four key building-related actions into its national targets.

Perhaps most notably, Nigeria has integrated six new building policies directly into its NDC, including:

• Embedding energy efficiency and climate resilience into the national building code
• Developing two smart, green, and climate-resilient cities in each geographical zone
• Implementing mandatory hazard mapping and risk zoning for urban planning

Together, these policies illustrate how the Scorecard is shaping systemic change — embedding sustainability principles in both new construction and retrofitting strategies while addressing adaptation, resilience, and inclusion.

Buildings at the Heart of Climate Action

The built environment contributes nearly one-third of global energy-related carbon emissions, making it a critical sector for achieving 1.5°C climate targets. Yet historically, buildings have been underrepresented in national climate strategies.

Developed with input from 85+ Green Building Councils (GBCs) and over 40 international organisations, including the IEA, GlobalABC, C40 Cities, SEforALL, Climate Group, and WRI, the NDC Scorecard provides a clear framework to assess, benchmark, and enhance the building sector’s role in national climate plans.

By offering gap analyses, performance indicators, and policy recommendations, the tool helps governments strengthen climate-aligned building codes, integrate circularity and resilience, and mobilise finance toward low-carbon construction.

A Global Blueprint for Implementation

The 16 National Action Plans developed so far provide governments with roadmaps for reform, identifying priority actions across policy, industry, and finance.

For governments:

• Update building codes to include energy, water efficiency, and carbon standards
• Introduce minimum performance benchmarks and incentives for retrofits
• Embed circularity and resilience into urban planning frameworks

For industry:

• Develop national decarbonisation roadmaps
• Adopt green certification schemes and sustainable materials
• Invest in workforce training for green construction and design

For finance:

• Establish green finance taxonomies and targeted instruments such as retrofit loans and green mortgages
• Align investment portfolios with ESG and NDC goals
• Improve access for SMEs and low-income households

Together, these priorities chart a path toward a zero-carbon, inclusive built environment, ensuring that the buildings sector delivers both climate mitigation and resilience.

“We Are in the Era of Implementation”

Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council, emphasised that the Scorecard marks a shift from ambition to action:

“We are now firmly in the era of implementation — and the NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings is a proven tool to deliver it. Aligned with the Global Stocktake agenda, it provides a platform to translate global goals into measurable, accountable outcomes. From Colombia to Nigeria and Brazil, it’s enabling real policy shifts — from circularity targets and taxonomy frameworks to updated building codes.”

“Buildings are not just part of the climate challenge — they are one of our most powerful solutions. The 16 National Action Plans developed via the Scorecard show how we can scale proven policies to build resilient economies, healthy communities, and a zero-carbon future. Ahead of COP30, we call on all countries to #BeBoldOnBuildings and turn climate promises into action.”

Voices from the Global Green Building Council Network

Felipe Faria, CEO, Green Building Council Brasil:

“Everybody knows about the construction industry’s global emissions and how buildings are essential to the adaptation and resiliency agenda. Our buildings will be pivotal in facing heat and cold waves and other extreme climate events. However, our movement can also support the climate transition by connecting people to the agenda in a language they can feel and understand. A green, high-performance building that delivers efficiency, health, and sustainability in everyday homes and offices shows the immediate benefits of climate action.”

Angélica Ospina, Executive Director, Consejo Colombiano de Construcción Sostenible (CCCS):

“A positive outcome from the NDC project has been working with the national government to update Colombia’s NDCs. This input was gathered through collaboration with key industry stakeholders from the building and construction sector, industry, and finance at workshops hosted by the CCCS. We listened to the people who work daily to accelerate sustainable building practices in the sector.”

Danjuma Waniko, President, Green Building Council Nigeria:

“We believe buildings can’t just be seen as part of the emissions problem – they’re also part of the solution. Because of its crosscutting impacts, the built environment is a powerful lever for climate action. It touches on people’s daily lives, social equity, resilience, and economic opportunity. If we integrate buildings properly into Nigeria’s NDCs, it’s not just about cutting carbon; it’s about making a long-term investment that puts people, the economy, and the environment at the centre of national priorities.”

Looking Ahead to COP30

As countries prepare for COP30, set to take place in the Amazon region of Brazil, the WorldGBC’s NDC Scorecard stands out as a tangible instrument for delivering the Global Stocktake objectives and bridging the gap between commitments and implementation.

By equipping governments with practical tools and collaborative frameworks, the Scorecard empowers nations to move beyond pledges—turning climate ambition into measurable policy outcomes.

With 40 countries already engaged and more expected to join ahead of COP30, the initiative marks a defining moment for the global building sector’s role in achieving a 1.5°C future—anchored in innovation, inclusivity, and accountability.