Built environment falling short of UK carbon targets
19 March 2026
Emissions from the UK’s buildings and infrastructure are falling at only around half the rate required to meet national climate targets, according to a new industry report.
The latest analysis from the UK Green Building Council warns that the built environment, the UK’s second-largest source of carbon emissions, is “dangerously behind” the pace needed to support the country’s net zero ambitions.
The findings, published in its Net Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap Progress Report, show that embodied carbon emissions have fallen by 14% since 2018. This compares with a 24% reduction required over the same period to stay on track with the roadmap.
The report estimates the sector is reducing emissions at roughly half the necessary speed, leaving a shortfall of around 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year. This gap is described as comparable to the annual emissions from heating nine million homes.
To meet its targets, the sector would need to cut a further 35 million tonnes of emissions by 2027. That would require the rate of reductions to more than triple compared with current progress.
The analysis highlights mixed performance across the industry. Operational emissions have declined due to improvements in energy efficiency and increased use of low-carbon technologies. However, slower progress in reducing embodied carbon, which includes emissions from construction materials and processes, is offsetting these gains.
The report also raises concerns about delays in decarbonising the UK’s electricity grid, which it says are weakening efforts to transition towards electric heating and transport systems.
The roadmap, first launched in 2021, outlines a pathway for cutting emissions across the full lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure. The latest update assesses how far the sector has progressed and where further action is required.
The findings come shortly after the introduction of a new UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard, which aims to provide a unified method for defining and verifying net zero buildings, including limits on both operational and embodied emissions.
Simon McWhirter, chief executive of UKGBC, says:
“The UK’s buildings are now dangerously behind in meeting our climate targets, and this new analysis shows just how stark the challenge has become. We are cutting carbon at less than half the pace required and every year we fall further behind, the harder and more expensive it becomes to catch up.
“We simply cannot afford to lock in another generation of high-carbon homes, offices and infrastructure. With the right policies and decisive action from government and industry, we can still turn this around, but the window is closing fast.”
Yetunde Abdul, director of industry transformation at UKGBC, adds:
“The built environment is the UK’s second largest source of emissions, and the solutions are available today. What we need now is consistent policy, mandatory whole life carbon regulation and sustained investment to unlock change at scale. Incremental progress will not be enough; this requires systemic transformation.
“The report concludes that while progress has been made since 2018, it falls short of what is required. With no scope to delay progress towards 2050, rapid and coordinated action from industry and government is now essential. UKGBC will continue to convene members, provide evidence-based tools and work with policymakers to accelerate delivery at the pace and scale required.”
