Towards net zero: Sectoral ambitions and global trends in building decarbonisation

Limiting global warming in line with the Paris Agreement requires rapid and ambitious decarbonisation of the global building and real estate (BRE) sector. This study presents the first global systematic review and structured alignment assessment of BRE decarbonisation efforts from 212 publications over the past two decades, evaluating them against six relevant alignment factors: temperature-based targets, main indicators, life-cycle scope, decarbonisation goals, target years and assessment scales. Using a multi-criteria scoring and weighting framework, the analysis reveals the evolution and prevalent shortcomings in research. Only four studies are Paris-aligned, while most efforts remain fragmented, narrowly scoped, low in ambition, or disconnected from explicit temperature limits and mid-century net zero goals. Although ambition has increased since 2015, inconsistent terminology, incomplete life-cycle scopes, small assessment scales and delayed policy uptake persist. Significant geographical disparities are evident, with Europe and Oceania leading in whole-life-cycle approaches, while Africa, South America and much of Asia remain underrepresented, despite rapid projected growth in building stocks. The findings demonstrate that current BRE decarbonisation trajectories are largely incompatible with Paris-aligned pathways. Three priority research areas are identified: harmonised definitions and ambition levels, robust data infrastructures, and scalable sector-wide frameworks to enable Paris-compatible decarbonisation within planetary boundaries. POLICY RELEVANCE The systemic misalignments and research-to-policy adoption challenges identified in this research provide policymakers with insights to set Paris-aligned emissions-reduction targets and pathways for national BRE sectors, establish sector-wide governance and support effective contributions from key stakeholders. First, international harmonisation of definitions and standards for whole-life-cycle assessment, data collection and reporting is required. Second, given that operational-emissions-only, building-level approaches are insufficient to achieve Paris-compatible outcomes, it is necessary to include embodied emissions, mandate whole-life-cycle, sector-wide assessments of the national building stock, and implement legally binding limit values, carbon budgets or decarbonisation trajectories into Nationally Determined Contributions. Third, since projected high-growth regions in Africa, South America and Asia are currently underrepresented in the literature, international policy support should focus on establishing the data infrastructures and technical expertise in these areas to ensure global climate goals are not undermined by regional data and capability gaps.