Every day, floor space equivalent to 360 Ikea stores is built around the world.
Energy efficiency and recycled materials are becoming increasingly common, but in 2024, cement, steel and aluminum in building materials together accounted for nine percent of the world's emissions.
Since the Paris Agreement in 2015, construction emissions have remained stable while operational emissions have increased by 6.5 percent.
A positive exception is Sweden, which, together with Denmark, Greece, Slovenia and Finland, more than halved its building emissions between 2005 and 2023. Sweden and Denmark could reach an 80 percent reduction in building emissions by 2030 if further policy measures are taken, according to the report.
