The U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification Inc. will attend COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, from Nov. 9 through 18, aiming to partner with governments and businesses to scale climate solutions through efficiency, electrification and zero waste. USGBC says it will engage the global green building community to scale climate action and contribute to benefits including affordability, grid security and climate resilience. The delegation includes Peter Templeton, president and CEO of USGBC, and four other staff members.
USGBC says the COP31 presidency’s Action Agenda adds a new focus on cities’ role in cutting emissions and building resilience, and gives greater weight to building efficiency and electrification. It also calls for multi-level governance, in which national and subnational governments work together on climate action, and for sustainable finance for cities. For buildings, the priorities include whole-life carbon emissions, green building certification, and resilient infrastructure and building standards.
USGBC has endorsed three initiatives: the 2026 COP31 International Business Energy Efficiency Letter; the 35×35 Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to raise electricity’s share of total final energy consumption to 35% globally by 2035; and the Antalya Compact for Energy Efficient Buildings, which aims to reduce building operational energy intensity through stronger energy-performance standards, retrofits and electrification. On zero waste, USGBC has offered support to the new Istanbul Platform on Zero Waste for Climate Action and plans to introduce its newly launched TRUE v2 to global stakeholders.
USGBC says government financial and technical assistance, codes and mandates, leadership by example, and efficiency and green building incentives make a difference, and it plans to share knowledge and resources at COP31 to support those efforts. It will take part in events at the Buildings Pavilion as a member of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, at the America Is All In and USA Climate pavilions, and in an event with the SEEC Institute.
