The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) signed onto an international climate declaration, described as “a foundational document for international cooperation that will enable progress towards a rapid, fair, and effective transition of the building sector to zero emissions,” according to a HUD announcement.
Joining 69 other nations, the U.S. and HUD signed onto the Declaration de Chaillot during the United Nations (UN) Buildings and Climate Forum in Paris last week. During the event, representatives for HUD shared some of the climate policies implemented during the Biden administration, including initiatives related to energy efficiency, carbon reduction and climate resilience.
The event also provided HUD personnel an opportunity to learn from other nations about their efforts to produce climate-resilient housing,. This includes prioritizing the control of energy costs while also making homes more resilient to climate events that have had a more pronounced impact on the federal government’s relief resources in recent years.
At the conclusion of the forum, the 70 nations committed to joining the Declaration de Chaillot.
“There is a lot we can learn from governments and organizations across the world as we seek to build homes for the future,” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said of the move. “HUD represented the Biden-Harris Administration at the United Nations’ Buildings and Climate Forum and led the U.S. delegation’s effort to sign on to a historic climate declaration, building towards a more resilient, efficient and sustainable future.”
This follows other recent climate actions over the past several months, including a series of new climate policy announcements at the 28th UN Climate Conference (COP28) this past December.
These include the launch of a free water and energy benchmarking service for HUD-assisted multifamily properties, as well as a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to increase domestic efforts at reducing carbon emissions in the building sector while cutting costs for consumers through energy efficiency improvements.
“HUD’s participation in the Buildings and Climate Forum is part of HUD’s ongoing work to build more sustainable, resilient, and efficient communities,” the department said in its recent statement. “The Department continues to deliver funds from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act through its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP).
“As of now, HUD has awarded more than $368 million to support clean energy and climate resilience upgrades at 84 multifamily properties that will improve over 9,000 homes for very low-income households, seniors, and people with disabilities.”
