The Built Environment Just Transitions Accelerator

• Progress on decarbonisation in the built environment has been too slow, and some initiatives have exacerbated human rights issues such as lack of affordable housing and unemployment
• Through multi-lateral convenings and collective advocacy, IHRB’s Built Environment Just Transitions Accelerator brings together stakeholders in Denmark, Spain, and the UK to help embed human rights into decarbonisation initiatives, reducing risk and broadening support by ensuring no one is left behind.
• The Accelerator aims to advance practice, influence policy, and shape sector-wide narratives, with a focus on workers’ rights, adequate housing rights, and meaningful participation by communities impacted by decarbonisation initiatives.

• Efforts to address the world’s major challenges, like inequality and climate change, hinge in many ways on what we build, where, how, and for whom.
• Urgent climate action is vital. Buildings and construction account for 37% of global carbon emissions. But poorly planned action risks fast-tracking us into an even greater inequality crisis, with negative consequences for governments, businesses, people, and planet. A just transition is essential.
• The business sector has a critical role to play. The real estate sector accounts for 60% of global GDP, and the construction sector employs 8% of the world’s population. 
• Since 2018, IHRB has helped built environment actors mitigate the social impacts of decarbonisation, from Copenhagen to Lagos to Melbourne. In 2024, we published a landmark report and culmination of two years of research on human rights and decarbonisation initiatives in eight cities. 
• The Accelerator is the next step in turning our research into practical, collective action across three countries: Denmark, Spain, and the UK.

• Advancing human rights centred practice by leading real estate investors, developers, and construction companies, demonstrating the benefits of embedding human rights in decarbonisation initiatives
• Leveraging the collective expertise of civil society organisations and business leaders to develop joined-up advocacy for improved policy that levels the playing field
• Showcasing  the benefits of adopting a just transition approach to inspire other businesses and influence global narratives

• The Accelerator will provide opportunities for leading investors and businesses in the real estate and construction sector to mitigate risk, strengthen market leadership, future-proof their operating models, gain visibility of their initiatives, and influence government policy
• Civil society organisations such as tenant unions, worker unions, tenant and resident associations, and NGOs will be able to share their knowledge and amplify their voice to influence business practice
• Policymakers will gain first-hand knowledge of the issues and opportunities faced by businesses and communities, which can inform emerging policy and regulation that level the playing field

Want to learn more?

• Denmark Accelerator: andreia.fidalgo@ihrb.org
• Spain Accelerator: ainara.fernandez@ihrb.org
• UK Accelerator: gordon.miller@ihrb.org