Why embodied carbon in buildings matters – and what can be done about it
What is embodied carbon? The carbon emitted in the process of making something.
For example, this could be emissions caused by extraction of materials, during an object’s manufacturing or processing, as well as its transportation and its use in another asset, such as a building.
What’s the problem? The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs predicts that around 2.5 billion people could be added to urban areas by 2050 – and that will most likely mean a rapid increase in demand for construction materials for buildings.
Are buildings really that bad? Currently, buildings often have large embodied carbon footprints that are difficult to tackle, as they are made up of multiple materials and contain lots of other products in order to function properly. Not only that, but the materials used in construction are often carbon intensive, such as steel and cement.
To keep in line with 1.5°C targets, embodied carbon emissions must be reduced by 65 per cent by 2030 from 2019 baselines, and action has to be taken fast to avoid locking buildings into high-carbon construction that will be standing for decades to come.
What’s the solution? To tackle embodied carbon in buildings while meeting demand for infrastructure, we need:
- Interventions from policy-makers to change regulations in construction
- Advanced technology across building supply chains to find new ways of building with less carbon
The following solutions could solve part of the puzzle:
- Policies that support a circular economy for construction and use of green public procurement
- Using less steel could dramatically lower the embodied carbon of buildings
- Using lower carbon, biobased (natural) materials like cross laminated timber (CLT)
CLT is an engineered structural wood product made by gluing timber together in layers that are set 90 degrees to each other, and its market is already expected to grow annually by 13 per cent by 2026. But its use must be in tandem with strong sustainable forest management practices.
Our report – New horizons for sustainable and healthy built environments – looks into further solutions.
Who can drive a change? Meaningful change requires collaboration right across the built environment system.
Responsibility lies from construction to material production, as well as urban planning, government policies and regulation. Investors too can align finance with low-carbon buildings.
Policy makers in cities are one especially important group to drive innovation at local levels.
For example, the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam has mandated that 20 per cent of all new housing projects built from 2025 must be constructed with wood or other bio-based materials.
What happens next?
- Scaling solutions– if managed properly, using more bio-based materials in construction holds potential to drive decarbonisation, .
- Increasing transparency in supply chains– more demonstrations of what’s possible will help the construction industry to recognise how they can reduce embodied carbon.
- Support from policy makers– a supportive policy and investment environment could tackle embodied carbon more broadly.
-Why is the Chatham House Rule important for sustainability?
We need to work together to find solutions to decarbonise our economy, transform our food system, restore nature and limit global temperature rises to 1.5oC.
To do this, we need fresh thinking. We need to challenge the status quo. We need to work together. We can use the Chatham House Rule to facilitate that.
Read the full post about the importance of the Chatham House Rule to sustainability here.
Πηγή: chathamhouse.org
