Building a greener future-Progress of the green building technology in the 13th Five-Year Plan of China

Summary: The building sector plays a significant role in global energy consumption and carbon emissions, and this is no exception in China. To achieve China's carbon reduction goals, the building sector needs to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. However, the lack of data on building energy and emissions hinders tracking and identifying opportunities for achieving these dual carbon targets. To address this issue, this study developed an integrated China Building Energy and Emission Model (CBEEM) to evaluate energy consumption and emissions in the building construction and operation sectors in China. The results showed that building operation energy consumption accounted for 21% of China's total primary energy consumption in 2020, while building construction energy consumption accounted for another 10%. The study also highlighted the challenges and opportunities in reducing carbon emissions in the building sector, as embodied emissions from building construction are slowly declining while operational carbon emissions continue to increase. International comparisons were conducted to shed light on the decarbonization challenges facing China's building sector. The study also discussed technological perspectives and policy suggestions for achieving carbon neutrality.