11 IRÈNE SKOULA Director of the Energy and Buildings Programme at C40 How can sustainable construction help accelerate the energy transition of cities? I.S.: Cities are responsible for around two-thirds of energy consumption, and building construction is responsible for the lion’s share. So sustainable construction is key to the energy transition – principles like vernacular architecture, low carbon materials, highly efficient fossil-free buildings, and zero emission construction machinery. People need to be at the center of a clean and just energy transition, and we know that urban clean energy action can drive employment as well. Data shows that investments in residential retrofits and solar PV will generate six times as many jobs as investments in fossil gas. How does the C40 network facilitate cooperation between cities regarding sustainable construction? I.S.: It’s the core of our mission to bring cities together. Our Clean Construction programme supports more than 40 cities around the globe, working with partners and stakeholders to drive the transition towards decarbonized, resource-efficient, resilient, and just built environments. One key thing we do is raise awareness about the “invisible” impact of the built environment – embodied emissions, resource depletion, air and noise pollution, soil pollution – when sustainable construction principles are not taken into account. We bring cities together and talk to our peers in a trusted environment. We foster leadership with political commitments called “accelerators”, such as our Net Zero Carbon Buildings Accelerator that sets concrete pathways for net zero carbon new buildings by 2030 and all buildings by 2050, and our Clean Construction Accelerator, which is our commitment to shift the global construction industry towards a more sustainable future. We focus on getting our mayors into the game and showing the world they are doers, not delayers. The transition to sustainable construction requires an industry-wide effort – a complex exercise in a sector where the global value chain is particularly fragmented. Irène Skoula heads the Energy and Buildings Programme at C40 Cities, an organization dedicated to bringing cities closer together to confront the climate crisis. In her view, cooperation is an essential component of a successful transition to sustainable building infrastructure. No single actor can achieve the scale and pace of this necessary transition alone.
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