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Buildings efficiency: Special report

International Energy Agency (IEA)
This IEA report details a pathway to reduce buildings' energy intensity by 25% by 2035. It identifies equipment efficiency, building envelopes, electrification, and clean cooking as primary levers. To succeed, annual investment must triple to USD 1.2 trillion and efficiency progress must more than double from current rates.
Research
3 November 2026

Addressing insurability: A playbook for investing in place-based resilience

World Economic Forum
The global insurance landscape faces a risk management crisis, with natural catastrophe losses exceeding $100 billion annually. This report outlines four interventions to improve place-based resilience: improving risk-decision data, creating innovative financing structures, establishing trusted metrics, and realising co-benefits through multi-stakeholder coalitions to enhance insurability.
Research
15 September 2026

Two decades of urban heat intensification and exposure across 1400 cities

This report analyses satellite-based land surface temperature and population exposure across 1400 global cities between 2002 and 2021. Findings indicate that urban surface temperatures rose significantly, with climate change amplifying heat exposure by 82% relative to population growth alone, particularly affecting continental and arid regions.
Research
25 May 2026

Property insurance and disaster risk: New evidence from mortgage escrow data

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
This report analyses homeowners insurance premiums using mortgage escrow data from 2014 to 2024. It documents rapid premium increases and a doubling of the risk-to-premium gradient, driven by global reinsurance costs. These rising costs have significant impacts on home values, particularly in areas facing high climate risk.
Research
27 October 2026

Nature-related risks and the Australian real estate sector – one step forward, two steps back?

This exploratory study analyses how ten major Australian real estate companies disclose and manage nature-related financial risks. It finds low engagement and nascent practices, with many companies winding back initial commitments. The authors suggest that mandatory standards and policy reforms are essential to drive significant corporate action on biodiversity loss.
Research
23 June 2026

Castles & cars: Savings in the suburbs through electrifying everything technical study

This report examines the potential for Australian households to achieve significant financial savings through total electrification. It highlights that by 2030, average families could save up to $6,000 annually. The analysis stresses the importance of rapid technology adoption and policy intervention to eliminate domestic fossil fuel emissions.
Research
1 October 2021

A productivity agenda for Australia

Grattan Institute
This submission by the Grattan Institute outlines a productivity agenda for Australia focused on tax reform, talent maximisation, housing supply, and the net-zero transition. It recommends curbing tax concessions, improving childcare affordability, streamlining skilled migration, and rewarding state governments for relaxing restrictive land-use planning rules to boost economic growth.
Research
27 February 2026

The legibility problem across real assets: Adaptation and resilience finance without a shared language

This research examines the fragmented definitions of climate adaptation and resilience within finance and real assets. It identifies structural disagreements between regulatory frameworks and highlights five institutional gaps, including valuation and governance, that hinder large-scale investment. The paper advocates for improved institutional architecture to address systemic climate risks.
Research
17 August 2026

The resilience spread: How climate change is reshaping regional economies

First Street
This report analyses 426 global cities to define the "resilience spread" between economic capacity and climate risk. It finds that climate pressures currently impact 30% of cities negatively and could erode USD 2.5 trillion in global productivity by 2100 without significant adaptation investment.
Research
16 January 2024

Investing in Resilience: Building an insurance-centric framework for resilience investment

Marsh
Carlyle and Marsh introduce an insurance-centric framework to incentivise resilience investment. It addresses structural barriers preventing the recognition of risk reduction in underwriting, offering a four-step protocol to translate documented measures into tangible financial benefits, such as lower premiums, reduced deductibles, and improved asset durability.
Research
22 June 2026

Know your grid: How cleaner electricity shapes real estate capital planning

GRESB
This report explores how grid decarbonisation trajectories influence real estate capital planning. By linking asset-level performance with power sector projections, it identifies optimal sequencing for electrification and efficiency investments. It demonstrates that rapid action is essential for assets on slow-moving grids to mitigate cumulative emission risks.
Research
1 October 2026

Just Transition Real Estate Monitor

The Just Transition Real Estate Monitor evaluates construction clients across ten European countries on climate goals and social responsibility. It provides finance professionals with ESG data on housing affordability, labour conditions, and decarbonisation in the built environment.
Resource hub

ROSI™ Real Estate: How Affordable Housing Providers Can Create Financial Value While Supporting Resident Stability

NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business
A research-based framework from NYU Stern that quantifies the financial value of sustainability in real estate, specifically showing how affordable housing providers improve financial performance by supporting resident stability.
Online tool/database

Migrant integration statistics - housing

Eurostat
This report analyses housing indicators for migrants in the EU for 2025, focusing on home ownership, overcrowding, and housing cost overburden. It reveals significant disparities, with nationals maintaining higher ownership rates and lower overcrowding levels compared to non-EU citizens, supported by data from the EU-SILC framework.
Research
29 September 2026

The State of Cities Climate Finance: Part 2: The enabling conditions for mobilising urban climate finance

The World Bank
Produced by the World Bank and CCFLA, this report examines frameworks for mobilising urban climate finance. It introduces a conceptual framework based on country, city, and climate-specific elements. Findings highlight that cities generate 70% of global emissions and require urgent investment through improved planning, fiscal systems, and carbon pricing.
Research
21 June 2021

Building fast. Falling short. Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025–2026

United Nations Environment Programme
The 2025–2026 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction examines the sector's slow progress toward net-zero targets. Despite rising floor area and investment, building emissions and energy intensity remain off track. The report recommends urgent fossil-fuel phase-outs, upgraded building codes, and increased renewable energy deployment to meet 2030 milestones.
Research
18 May 2026
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