Climate change and residential sector growth in emerging countries

In December 2007 in Bali, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted a programme of discussions with a view to defining an international climate change mitigation regime for the “post-2012” period. The debates focus on commitments by emerging countries, which are currently responsible for most of the growth in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Nevertheless, industrialised countries clearly have a major role to play in climate change mitigation.

The continuous increase in CO2 emissions in emerging countries, especially in high inertia sectors such as transport infrastructure and building, stand to call into question the international community’s ability to meet the climate change challenge.

The current phase of development in emerging countries is a major opportunity for building low-carbon economies. To do so, development priorities must be reconciled with climate concerns.

DOWNLOAD:Syntheses 02/2008 (In English)