The World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has announced a major milestone in global climate action, with more than 40 countries now leveraging its NDC Scorecard for Sustainable Buildings to align national climate commitments with the buildings sector.
The initiative, launched in June 2025, is driving tangible policy outcomes and accelerating low-carbon development across multiple regions.
The NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Scorecard is a strategic tool designed to evaluate and strengthen how buildings and construction are represented within national climate action plans.
Since its introduction, the instrument has sparked a global movement of collaboration — mobilising policymakers, industry leaders, and financial institutions to integrate sustainable building practices into national frameworks.
According to the WorldGBC, the NDC Scorecard initiative has facilitated more than 50 national workshops and engaged over 1,100 stakeholders from government, industry, and finance.
These discussions have culminated in 150 policy recommendations delivered to 19 governments, resulting in the formulation of 16 National Action Plans.
Many of these new frameworks embed building decarbonisation, resilience, and resource efficiency as core drivers of national climate strategies, supporting millions of citizens through improved housing, energy security, and community resilience.
Tangible policy outcomes from the project have already surfaced across several continents.
In Brazil, two new national policies have been adopted to strengthen alignment between climate targets and green building practices.
Chile’s third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC3.0) incorporates five regulatory instruments influenced by WorldGBC’s recommendations, improving cohesion between local construction regulations and national decarbonisation goals.
Morocco has integrated four specific actions into its NDC focused on enhancing building performance and climate resilience.
In Africa, progress has been particularly pronounced in Nigeria, where six new building policies were integrated directly into its updated NDC.
These include measures to embed energy efficiency and climate resilience within the national building code, mandate hazard mapping and risk-based zoning in urban planning, and establish two smart, green, and climate-resilient cities in each geographical zone.
Together, these policies signal a strong commitment to a just and sustainable transition for one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
The WorldGBC stated that the Scorecard’s impact demonstrates the critical role of the built environment in global decarbonisation efforts.
As buildings account for almost 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, integrating sector-specific actions into national climate plans is essential to achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century.
By identifying policy gaps and supporting evidence-based decision-making, the Scorecard helps governments embed resilience, affordability, and sustainability across the full building lifecycle.
WorldGBC’s leadership emphasised that continued collaboration across industries, governments, and financial systems is crucial to maintaining the momentum generated over the past year.
The organisation aims to scale the NDC Scorecard model to more countries in 2026, expanding its capacity to influence national climate commitments and unlock investment in sustainable building solutions worldwide.
