COP31 opens Antalya building-efficiency agreement for ICBC signatures

What happened

The Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate (ICBC) made the Antalya Agreement on Energy Efficiency in Buildings available for signature by its member countries during COP31 in Antalya. The meeting brought together representatives of 53 members and 14 observer countries.

Delegates considered a COP31 Presidency implementation objective for 2035: reducing energy-use intensity across the building sector by 25%. The discussion also covered the sector’s role in climate action, improvements to energy efficiency and shared objectives for lower-carbon construction.

For organisations operating in the built environment, the immediate next step is to monitor whether ICBC members sign the agreement and how the 2035 objective is carried into national policy or sector programmes.

Why it matters

Turkey’s Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change said buildings account for roughly one-third of global energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. That places building performance and construction practices at the centre of the policy discussions described at the ministerial meeting.

The Antalya agreement is intended to strengthen international cooperation on energy efficiency in buildings. However, the ministry’s announcement describes the 25% reduction as an item considered under the COP31 Presidency’s 2035 objectives, rather than confirming that it has been adopted as a binding requirement.

Türkiye’s stated direction

Deputy Minister Ömer Bulut said the text being negotiated on environmental protection had been recast as an intergovernmental agreement under the Antalya framework. The ministry also said Türkiye is pursuing a 2030 aim for near-zero-emission, climate-resilient buildings to become the norm.

Separately, Türkiye has adopted a 2053 net-zero-emissions target and prepared a long-term climate strategy, according to the ministry. Its second nationally determined contribution commits the country to limit national greenhouse-gas emissions to 643 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent by 2035.

What to watch

ICBC member-country signatures are the next formal development for the Antalya agreement. Building-sector stakeholders should also watch for further detail on the proposed energy-intensity measure, including how the 2035 objective may be reflected in implementation plans.

Source: Türkiye’s Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change.