The New GBCI Report on Building Decarbonization in Latin America

Latin America’s path to decarbonizing its building sector will be different than much of the rest of the world. With its comparatively low emissions from buildings due to its remarkably clean electrical grids and warm climates, Latin America’s building sector is decarbonizing from a uniquely strong position. However, the predictions of a massive 65% growth in floor area by 2050 creates both urgency and opportunities for the region. In particular, Latin America has a leapfrog opportunity to jump over incremental codes and move directly to advanced energy and construction codes.

“The State of Building Decarbonization in Latin America”, a report by USGBC and GBCI that was released in the fall of 2025, does a deep dive into the energy and carbon data from the region as a whole and from six of its key countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru), uncovering important trends and emerging issues.

The first part of this Webinar will present the overall findings from the report, including:

• An overview of carbon emissions in Latin America and the role of buildings
• The paradigm shift from modest reductions in energy use to deep decarbonization 
• The region’s clean energy mix and its impact on building emissions
• The state of carbon commitments, energy codes, certification programs, and green financing      mechanisms 
• The breakdown of building emissions in each country

In the second part of this Webinar, a GBC representative from five of the Latin American countries will provide an overview of their country’s emissions and policies, including a spotlight on the contributions of their GBCs.

At the end, there will be time for questions from the audience.

Download the report here.