The role of buildings in addressing climate change cannot be understated. They’re responsible for roughly 40 percent of emissions globally (taking into account both building materials and operating emissions), and addressing the problem will require collaboration across sectors. The importance of buildings (and collaboration) explains why the Biden administration announced a buildings standard coalition this week, in partnership with 33 state and local governments.

Enter the Urban Land Institute’s annual sustainability outlook report, which outlines the top trends facing real estate professionals. The report is short and sweet, focusing on three simple questions: What sustainability topics and issues are on the rise, why do they matter and what should the industry do about it? The output is five issues that the institute sees as shaping real estate decisions into the future:

  1. Advancing the net-zero agenda
  2. Navigating the reporting and measurement landscape
  3. Confronting climate risk
  4. Prioritizing existing buildings
  5. Focusing on building materials

These trends aren’t earth-shattering. Many are similar to what sustainability professionals have been underscoring for years. Yet the report captures something valuable about this moment in our global sustainability journey: the maturation of professionals’ understanding of what key trends mean and the complexity of how to get there.

Here are three highlights from the report, and what they tell us about the corporate move towards sustainability.

Read the full article about climate priorities by Sarah Golden at GreenBiz.