Make building standards top priority for tackling climate change, says IEA chief

Energy inefficient and substandard construction in developing countries locking the world into high greenhouse gas emissions for decades, warns Fatih Birol

Buildings currently being constructed at an increasing rate in developing countries are locking the world into high greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come, the world's leading authority on energy has warned.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, told the Guardian that the world's number one priority in tackling climate change must be to ensure those buildings meet higher standards of efficiency and safety.