Stanford Harrison: Decarbonisation as a Shared Global Mission

Stanford Harrison, Director of the Commercial Buildings Policy Team in Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water, spoke passionately about the need for global cooperation in decarbonising the building industry. He drew attention to the significant share of emissions tied to buildings, from operational and embodied emissions to the environmental impact of construction materials.

Harrison emphasised that the building sector’s transformation required moving beyond research into practical implementation, aligning industry practices with government policy and international standards. “Every nation has a built environment, and every nation can learn from each other,” he said, calling for an exchange of best practices and technologies on a global scale. He acknowledged Australia’s role as a leader in innovation, supported by a $2 million federal grant for the DBI Network, and underscored the importance of bringing together researchers, government, and industry to address this shared challenge.