A new report from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) shows that investments in the green-building sector as part of governments’ pandemic-recovery plans can yield significant benefits.

Modelling done for Canada’s Green Building Engine: Market Impact and Opportunities in a Critical Decade shows that a green-recovery plan could create as many as 1.5 million new jobs and $150 billion in GDP growth by 2030, while cutting greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 53 megatonnes compared with 2018 levels.

The report expands on the 2016 Green Building Market Impact Report to assess the influence of Canada’s green building industry now and over the next 10 years. It found that in 2018, the green building industry added 164,260 jobs—an increase of 55 percent over 2014. By way of contrast, the oil and gas extraction, mining and forestry industries stagnated in terms of job growth over the same periods. Employment there contracted by 2.8 percent or 7,580 positions.

“The report offers a definitive look at Canada’s green building industry and far-reaching economic, environmental, and social benefits,” said CaGBC president Thomas Mueller. “It details the growth of the green building industry into a mature sector of the Canadian economy, which now generates more jobs than oil and gas extraction, mining, and forestry combined. Extrapolating out to 2030, it shows how significant investment in a recovery plan that centres on green buildings could lead to 1.5 million jobs and set Canada on a path to meet its climate change targets.”

A number of trends are driving the accelerated growth of the green building sector, says the report. These include a greater focus on healthier and more resilient buildings. The report also highlights the need for a sustainable approach to the extraction, manufacturing, use and disposal of building materials, as well as the necessity of large-scale retrofit to accelerate reductions in GHG emissions.

While jobs in the green building industry go beyond construction, trades and design, construction remains the primary focus. The report indicates that new construction accounts for 80 percent of all green building, but the climate challenge will drive the need to retrofit existing buildings. Green retrofits, however, yield only one in five jobs in green building construction and trades.

“To reach our climate targets, Canada must not only address new buildings but also the large number of inefficient buildings and homes,” said Mueller. “Right now, between 70 and 80 percent of these buildings will still be in use by 2050, contributing to domestic GHG emissions. Retrofits must be a significant priority if we are to decarbonize by 2050. Strong public policy, private sector investment, performance standards and certification programs like LEED will support this urgently needed transformation.”