ABSTRACT
As global populations increase, so does the demand for buildings and Building energy services. Although Building energy is a major contributor to global energy usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rivalling those in the transportation and industrial sectors, it rarely receives the same type of media attention. With the growing global acceptance of climate change, many countries and world regions are seeking to generate and use all forms of energy more efficiently, while reducing GHG emissions. The overall goals are to provide increasingly affordable, sustainable, and universally available clean energy, and strive towards eliminating global poverty.
Despite almost universal global commitments to improving efficiency and reducing emissions, the United Nations is concerned about the actual results emerging from the political actions taken by the governments who signed the Paris Agreement in 2015. The Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets are not being achieved fast enough, in part because of the significant disparity between global wealth and indigenous energy resources, which can severely impact the health of almost half the world’s population.
This chapter will provide explanations of exactly what constitutes Building energy services globally and discuss the significant role this energy sector plays and could play in achieving some of the sustainable development goals embedded in the United Nations plan to eradicate global poverty.
