IPCC Vice-Chair to deliver keynote at UK Passivhaus Conference 2026
Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Professor at Central European University, will deliver the opening keynote at the UK Passivhaus Conference 2026 on 18 November.
Her keynote opens ‘Passivhaus levers in the UK’, a plenary session already bringing together speakers from the Greater London Authority, the Building Safety Regulator and Warmer Homes London, closing with a panel that adds Barratt London's Head of Design. Between a global authority on climate mitigation and the UK bodies setting planning policy, enforcing building safety and delivering retrofit funding, the opening session now covers the full span from international science to what gets built on the ground.
Ürge-Vorsatz has spent over two decades at the centre of international climate science. She was Coordinating Lead Author on the IPCC's Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports, later Vice-Chair of IPCC Working Group III on climate mitigation, and was elected Vice-Chair of the IPCC itself in 2023 for the current assessment cycle. Her research sits precisely where this conference lives: the link between building performance, fuel poverty and climate mitigation at scale.
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" I am thrilled to be opening the UK Passivhaus Conference. Passivhaus offers a positive climate solution for tackling building carbon emissions, as well as helping with climate adaptation. It is good to be spotlighting the people and organisations helping to upscale Passivhaus in the UK." Diana Ürge-Vorsatz, Vice-Chair, IPCC |
Buildings account for a substantial share of global emissions, and the gap between what's technically achievable and what's actually being built remains one of the clearest levers available for climate mitigation. Ürge-Vorsatz's work has consistently made that case at the international level. Her keynote brings that argument to a UK Passivhaus Conference built around the standard already closing that gap in practice.
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"The Passivhaus Trust is delighted to be joined by Diana Ürge-Vorsatz at the UK Passivhaus Conference. Her keynote speech will offer the framework and context for all the other presentations at the conference. The Passivhaus standard offers a win-win-win solution of radical carbon savings, climate resilience against weather extremes and ultra low energy bills to help with the cost of living crisis." Jon Bootland, Chief Executive of the Passivhaus Trust |
Scaling Affordable Comfort and Resilience, takes place on 18 November at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, and online.
In line with this announcement, the early bird discount has been extended by an additional week. Secure your place before the 11 September or before they sell out.
Further Information
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
UK Passivhaus Trust Conference 2026
Passivhaus Masterclass: Firoz Lalji Global Hub
UK Passivhaus Conference 2026 - Media pack
4th September 2026
Get involved with the UK Passivhaus community
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