1. The Buildings sector of today has an oversized ecological
footprint. The buildings sector is the single largest
contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), with
approximately one third of global energy end use taking place
within buildings. Furthermore, the construction sector is
responsible for more than a third of global resource
consumption, including 12 per cent of all fresh water use and
significantly contributes to the generation of solid waste,
estimated at 40 per cent of the total volume. Therefore, the
building sector is central to any attempt to use resources more
efficiently. 2. Constructing new green buildings and
retrofitting existing energy- and resource intensive buildings
stock can achieve significant savings. There are significant
opportunities to improve energy-efficiency in buildings, and the
sector has the greatest potential, out of those covered in this
report, to reduce global GHG emissions. Various projections
indicate that investments, ranging from US$ 300 billion to US$ 1