Progress made in making buildings energy-efficient

Thanks to consistent efforts to promote energy conservation in buildings, China has managed to make most of the floor areas in its urban civic buildings energy-efficient, an official said.

Jiang Wanrong, vice-minister of housing and urban-rural development, made the remark during an event held on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate change conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday.

The building sector is key for energy conservation and carbon emission reduction, he noted.

In a move to contribute to the country's climate targets, the ministry, together with the National Development and Reform Commission, published an action plan to peak carbon dioxide emissions in urban-rural construction in June last year.

China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and realize carbon neutrality before 2060.

Jiang said China plans to take a series of measures to promote the development of green, low-carbon buildings.

In existing buildings, efforts will be intensified to enhance energy efficiency. Measures will also be taken to construct more buildings following green, low-carbon approaches, he added.

He said that generally, China has made remarkable progress in promoting climate mitigation in the building sector.

China has set up a standards system for energy saving in buildings, which includes over 80 specific standards, he said.

He said that more than 60 percent of the total floor area of urban civic buildings has been made energy-efficient.

"With further efforts to enhance international cooperation, we will strive to make greater Chinese contributions and provide more Chinese solutions in regard to energy conservation and carbon emission reduction in buildings," he said.

At another event, Jiang highlighted a series of actions China has rolled out to promote the construction of green, low-carbon cities.

The country has promoted green construction methods by developing prefabricated buildings and steel structure housing, he said.

To further optimize the urban energy consumption structure, he said, China has ramped up its efforts to expand the integration of photovoltaics into buildings.

"China, as a responsible major developing nation, will proactively participate in global climate governance and deepen international cooperation regarding World Cities Day, the construction of green, low-carbon cities and the development of climate resilient cities," he said.