UNEP: Construction companies often ignore climate factors for commercial gain

Construction companies often fail to account for climate risks when building housing, prioritizing commercial profit above all else.

As reported by Report, this was stated by UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Elizabeth Maruma Mrema on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

According to her, developers often seek to minimize construction costs without considering the long-term consequences of such decisions. As a result, this negatively affects people who live and work in such buildings.

The UN representative emphasized that the financial factor remains one of the key barriers to change. In an effort to cut costs, non-ecological and short-lived materials are widely used in construction instead of higher-quality, sustainable, and technologically advanced solutions.

Mrema noted that research is needed to address the existing problems in the real estate market, as well as consideration of modern climate and infrastructure challenges.