Tackling embodied carbon is the next step of the green building journey

Workers on a scaffolding on a construction site in Singapore, where percentages of embodied carbon may be higher than average due to the high rate of urban renewal. Image: As much as 30 per cent of a building’s total carbon emissions is impossible to ever reduce or recoup—unless developers are willing to address them before construction even begins. Embodied carbon refers to the carbon emissions released during the manufacturing, transportation, and construction phases of a building, before it goes into use. These emissions, seldom considered by occupants, make up 30 per cent of a building’s carbon emissions and 11 per cent of all carbon emissions globally. And, between now and 2050, embodied carbon will be responsible for half of the entire carbon footprint of new construction, threatening to consume a large part of remaining carbon budget, according to the findings of a recent report by the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront . Embodied carbon came under the spotlight recently when WorldGBC updated its Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment to include the following milestones: by 2030, all new buildings, infrastructure and renovations will have at least 40 per cent less embodied carbon, and by 2050, all […]

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