According to expert estimates, residential and urban development in Germany must change fundamentally in order to combat the climate crisis and the scarcity of resources. “35 percent of the emissions are directly related to the buildings,” said Dirk Messner, President of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). “Climate protection cannot succeed without a focus on buildings and urban development.” There must be fundamental changes.

Together with the Commission for Sustainable Building (KNBau), the UBA published recommendations for sustainable housing and urban development. A central point is therefore to preserve and further develop existing buildings instead of building new ones.

“The building stock that we have today must be better preserved,” said Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens). This saves construction costs and waste, for example, and thus serves to protect the climate. Together with Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD), she wants to combat the housing shortage ecologically in the future.

“Building and climate protection must always be thought of together and socially,” said Geywitz. Foregoing climate standards is unprofitable even in the short term and harms future generations.