Four cities make Clean Construction declaration

The mayors of four major cities have signed up to C40’s Clean Construction Declaration, with the goal of halving construction emissions by the year 2030.

The mayors of Oslo, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Budapest have committed to work with local businesses to make the construction process more sustainable.

The targets set out in the declaration are:

● To Reduce embodied emissions by at least 50% for all new buildings and retrofits by 2030

● To reduce embodied emissions by at least 50% of all infrastructure projects by 2030

● To procure and when possible use only zero emission construction machinery from 2025

The mayors have committed to using their respective purchasing power to drive change in the construction industry, by normalising the use of zero emission equipment on the construction projects within their respective remits.

They will also insist on accountability and transparency throughout project supply chains.

In signing the declaration, each mayor has further committed to approving at least one net-zero emission flagship construction project by 2025.

Another aspect of the declaration involves the repurposing of the current building and infrastructure stock in these cities; the aim being to reduce the need for raw materials and create green construction jobs.

C40 points out that the construction industry is currently responsible for more than 23% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and 30% of global resource consumption.

The organisation states that, if current practices are not curbed, the planet could experience an overall temperature increase of 3°C - a scenario with potentially devastating consequences.

Raymond Johansen, governing mayor of Oslo, said, “We are confident that the C40 Clean Construction Declaration will contribute in shifting the construction market globally. Together, we can remove fossil fuels and reduce emissions from construction sites altogether. This will make them safer, quieter, cleaner places to work, and will ensure that the air in our cities is cleaner and healthier to breathe. We challenge the Minister of the Environment to take action and ask cities worldwide to join us”.

Cristina Gamboa, CEO of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), said, “WorldGBC celebrates C40’s Clean Construction Declaration, an extension of our joint Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment / Declaration. Promoting leadership from cities that embrace a whole life-cycle approach is crucial to achieving our unified vision of total decarbonisation of the built environment.”

About C40 Cities

C40 Cities connects 97 cities with mayors committed to delivering on the goals of the Paris Agreement.

For more information, visit the C40 Cities website