The global climate crisis intensifies challenges across health, employment, education, and safety, yet the crucial role of housing is often overlooked. The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events threaten homes and escalate housing costs. Habitat for Humanity’s work in over 70 countries reveals that low-income families, despite minimal contribution to carbon emissions, disproportionately bear the brunt of climate change, especially the over one billion people in slums and informal settlements.
However, these communities also hold the key to solutions. By actively engaging with them and investing in large-scale improvements, we can create safer, healthier, and more resilient homes.
Climate migration, potentially displacing millions globally by 2050, poses significant risks, particularly in low-income and rapidly urbanizing nations. Contrary to expectations, most climate migrants remain within their own countries, often settling in already vulnerable informal settlements, exacerbating resource constraints.
Housing is central to the climate crisis, contributing to emissions while also offering mitigation potential. Residential buildings account for a substantial portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. As climate change intensifies, housing’s role in emission reduction and providing safety becomes even more critical.
Global leaders must prioritize climate migration, especially in the Global South. Ignoring this aspect hinders effective climate action and addressing interconnected challenges like economic development, health, and education.
Housing for climate resilience and development
Safe and secure housing significantly improves quality of life. Even basic shelter dramatically alters lives, yet millions in informal settlements lack essential services, land security, and climate resilience. Investing in adequate shelter is both a moral imperative and a strategic approach to building a sustainable and equitable future.
Research shows that adequate housing boosts well-being and sustainability, positively impacting economic development, income, health, and education. Upgrading housing in informal settlements could significantly increase GDP and income per capita, and potentially enroll millions more children in school.
Despite the clear link between housing and climate change, world leaders often neglect adequate shelter as a vital adaptation and mitigation tool.
A critical gap in climate action plans
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement outline national commitments to emission reduction and climate adaptation. However, many countries show limited commitment to the housing sector in their NDCs, with some failing to prioritize it entirely.
This omission is a significant oversight. Housing-focused strategies, including comprehensive slum upgrading, are crucial for climate action and achieving sustainable development goals, offering pathways to improved health, education, and economic outcomes.
Habitat for Humanity adapts its approach, building and renovating homes using sustainable materials and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout a home’s lifecycle.
We urge G7 leaders to support housing mitigation and adaptation, particularly in informal settlements, as part of their climate action plans. Investing in housing solutions fosters resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities and advances climate objectives.
Housing is more than shelter; it provides health, safety, security, and forms the foundation for a better future for families and the planet.
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