1. Housing is a major cause of air pollution in many countries

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions by activity, 2020

Source: OECD calculations based on Air Emission Accounts Database


  1. Most countries have reduced exposure to particulate-matter pollution over the past three decades

Mean population exposure to PM2.5, microgram/m3

Source: OECD calculations based on OECD Environmental Risks and Health Database


  1. Housing accounts for a large share of energy use

Energy use by sector, OECD average, 2020

Source: IEA (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database; IEA (2021), Emission Factors Database and OECD calculations.


  1. Housing accounts for a large share of CO2 emissions

C02 emissions by sector, OECD average, 2020

Source: IEA (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database; IEA (2021), Emission Factors Database and OECD calculations.


  1. Per capita emissions and energy use in the residential sector vary a lot across countries

Total C02 emissions and energy use of the residential sector by country, 2020.

Source: IEA (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database; IEA (2021), Emission Factors Database and OECD calculations.


  1. The fuel mix, including to produce electricity, determines carbon intensity

Composition of residential energy consumption by source, 2020 or latest available year

Source: IEA, (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database and OECD calculations.


  1. Changes in residential energy mixes have been far from uniform across countries

Change in residential energy use per capita (GJ), 2000-2020

Source: IEA, (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database and OECD calculations.


  1. The decrease in carbon intensity is the major driver of reduction in CO2 emissions in most countries

Drivers of the evolution of total CO2 emissions of the residential sector, 2000-20 by country

Source: IEA (2021), Energy Efficiency Indicators Database, World Energy Outlook and OECD calculations.


  1. Very large changes from current policies are required to bring residential sector emissions down to net zero

World CO2 emissions (GT) from residential and commercial buildings

Note: The Stated Policy Scenario (STEPS) projects energy consumption and emissions under currently implemented or firmly announced policies. The Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) is a variant of STEPS and assumes that all pledged policies are fully transposed into policies. The Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario sets out a pathway for the global energy sector to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Variables are only available at the world level. No regional or country detail is provided by the IEA.

Source: World Energy Outlook and OECD calculations.


  1. The transition to net zero requires a substantial reduction in building-sector energy use

World energy use (EJ) from residential and commercial buildings

Note: The Stated Policy Scenario (STEPS) projects energy consumption and emissions under currently implemented or firmly announced policies. The Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) is a variant of STEPS and assumes that all pledged policies are fully transposed into policies. The Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario sets out a pathway for the global energy sector to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Variables are only available at the world level. No regional or country detail is provided by the IEA.

Source: World Energy Outlook and OECD calculations.


  1. Urbanisation competes for space with biodiversity

Loss of natural and semi natural vegetated land in functional urban areas as a share of the total area over 1992-2019

Note: The indicator shows the percentage of tree cover, grassland, wetland, shrubland and sparse vegetation converted to any other land cover type (croplan or artificial surface).

Source: OECD.Stat: Land Cover in Functional Urban Area


  1. Effective carbon rates are low in the building sector in many countries

Estimated effective carbon rates, EUR per tonne of CO2, building sector

Source: OECD (2022), Pricing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Turning Climate Targets into Climate Action, OECD Series on Carbon Pricing and Energy Taxation


  1. Effective carbon rates in power generation, which matter for housing-sector indirect emissions, are low in many countries

Estimated effective carbon rates, EUR per tonne of CO2, electricity sector

Source: OECD (2022), Pricing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Turning Climate Targets into Climate Action, OECD Series on Carbon Pricing and Energy Taxation