30 Sep 2025
Buildings are the surest footing towards Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target.
Rapid decarbonisation of the built environment, accompanied by electricity sector decarbonisation, can see annual emissions reduced by 66 MtCO2e by 2035, compared to 2025 levels.
That’s more than 90% of operational emissions from both residential and commercial buildings by 2035.
According to the Climateworks Centre’s latest modelling, no other part of the economy can move as far, as fast.
We commissioned the work, published in the Built Environment Ambition report and developed in partnership with the Property Council, to show what’s possible when policy ambition meets industry action.
This month, the Australian Government confirmed our national 2035 emissions target – cutting emissions by 62-70% from 2005 levels. This is the commitment Australia takes to COP30 in Belém in November.
The built environment can make around a quarter of the reductions needed across energy-using sectors to reach the 2035 target. This buys time for sectors like heavy industry, agriculture and transport that face harder, slower transitions.
Australia’s first National Climate Risk Assessment, also released this month, maps the threats from bushfires and sea-level rise to infrastructure damage and housing stress. It identified 63 nationally significant climate risks, 10 of them specific to the built environment and infrastructure. The National Adaptation Plan sets out the responses, and the Built Environment Sector Plan provides a roadmap for households and businesses to get there.
Together, these frameworks form the scaffolding for Australia’s transition. For the property and construction industry, they mark a clear direction of travel. A ladder to better.
The Green Building Council of Australia is focused on helping the industry climb, rung by rung.
Firstly, by advocating for stronger codes and standards. We support the Australian Government’s plan to expand the Commercial Building Disclosure Program and NatHERS, make new buildings zero-carbon-ready in the National Construction Code, and prioritise energy efficiency and electrification. Many of these measures ease cost-of-living pressures, with Climateworks estimating households could save around $2,000 each year on energy costs. The first priority is for ministers to urgently approve the National Construction Code for 2025.
The next rung is collaboration. The WorldGBC’s new report, Unlocking Capital, released in early September as part of World Green Building Week, benchmarks 32 rating tools against the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance. Green Star Buildings and Singapore’s Green Mark are recognised as the strongest aligned with the taxonomy. For investors, this is assurance. A Green Star Buildings rating meets rigorous international standards – and capital can flow with confidence.
The climb continues with education. Next month we launch Green Building Forum in Brisbane (21 October), before heading to Sydney (29 October), Melbourne (19 November) and online (19 November). This isn’t a ‘rebrand’ of Green Building Day, it’s an evolution. We’ve developed this new platform to help practitioners dive deep into technical workshops, share lessons and translate complex global developments into practical action. Timed with the release of Green Star Buildings v1.1, Green Building Forum gives a leg up to the people delivering change on the ground.
Finally, we climb by rating buildings themselves. Green Star Buildings v1.1 strengthens the Climate Positive Pathway, adds new credits for circular design and introduces a new Nature Positive Pathway. It aligns with the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy, mandatory disclosure laws, circular economy policies, Code updates and with NABERS Embodied Carbon. And it does all this while making delivery easier, with more than 100 usability improvements for project teams.
The ladder is built. The tools are in our hands. Now it is time to climb.