
And yet, the warning signs are everywhere. The 2003 heatwave in France, which claimed thousands of lives, warned us. The tragic collapse of the Genoa Bridge in Italy in 2018 exposed the failings of our infrastructure in the face of time and climate change. And now, the recent floods in Valencia, Spain, are a stark reminder of the urgency of the situation. These events are not anomalies. They are the direct consequences of our collective negligence, amplified by decades of climate inaction.
And the real estate sector, far from being a mere spectator, is at the heart of the problem. It is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions and consumes 40% of the world's energy. Each house, each building constructed or renovated, is a choice that weighs heavily on the planet and on the future. However, buyers, often poorly informed, continue to sign property deeds without knowing whether their property is exposed to climate risks: floods, droughts, landslides, etc.
Take the floods in Valencia, for example. Torrential rains, amplified by global warming, have turned entire neighborhoods into mud fields, destroying homes and leaving families destitute. How many of these homeowners knew that their house was located in a risk zone? How many had been warned that the soils in their area, weakened by years of drought, would no longer be able to absorb the excess rain?
This ignorance is culpable. It is maintained by a system where real estate ads often simply include a link to platforms like Géorisques, which are insufficient to truly understand the exposure of a property. But refusing to see the dangers does not make them disappear.
The price of this inaction is exorbitant. A human price, as in France during the heatwave or in Valencia during the floods. A financial price, because each disaster devalues property and destroys years of savings. And an ecological price, because real estate, instead of adapting, remains largely anchored in energy-intensive and polluting models.
Yet we can act. Decarbonizing this sector must become a priority. It is not just about building greener buildings, but about transforming the way we think about real estate: by considering its impacts on the planet and integrating transparency as an imperative. Every house, every building, must be designed to last and adapt to a changing climate.
But the problem is not limited to real estate. The massive exploitation of natural resources, oil, gas, rare earths, continues to destroy our ecosystems. A few extract 80% of the resources from 3% of the territory, while we all pay the consequences. The solution involves taxing destructive extractions, to encourage more responsible choices.
Real estate is not just a roof, it is a heritage, a transmission. But passing on a home without taking into account climate risks is to bequeath problems instead of a refuge. Disasters like the heatwave in France, the collapse of the Genoa bridge or the floods in Valencia are not distant warnings: they are already our reality. It is time to open our eyes and act, for ourselves, for our children, and for the Earth.
Tribune by Eric Houdet, Founder of Homapi (LinkedIn).