UNEP: Developers often overlook climate risks in construction

Developers frequently fail to take climate-related risks into account when building housing, prioritising commercial returns over long-term resilience, a senior United Nations official has warned.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, United Nations Environment Programme Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director Elizabeth Maruma Mrema said builders often focus on cutting construction costs without fully considering the long-term consequences, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

According to her, this approach can have adverse effects on people living and working in such buildings, particularly where substandard or short-lived materials are used in place of more durable and sustainable alternatives.

She added that financial constraints remain one of the key barriers to reform in the property and construction sectors, with cost pressures driving widespread reliance on less sustainable materials and design choices.

Mrema stressed that addressing these challenges requires stronger research, alongside greater integration of modern climate risks and infrastructure demands into planning and investment decisions.

By Aghakazim Guliyev