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Building, construction sector can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – report

Building, construction sector can reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – report

Photo by Creamer Media

23rd September 2019

By: Tasneem Bulbulia

Senior Contributing Editor Online

     

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As part of the tenth yearly World Green Building Week, the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC) has issued a new vision of how buildings and infrastructure around the world can reach 40% less embodied carbon emissions by 2030, and achieve 100% net zero emissions by 2050.

Building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world. Operational emissions from energy used to heat, cool and light buildings accounts for the majority of those emissions, with the remaining emissions coming from embodied carbon emissions, or “upfront” carbon, that is associated with materials and construction processes throughout the building lifecycle.

WorldGBC’s vision to fully decarbonise the sector requires eliminating both operational and embodied carbon emissions.

The ‘Bringing embodied carbon upfront’ report proposes this ambitious goal alongside solutions to accelerate immediate action by the entire building and construction value chain.

The vision is endorsed by representatives from developers and construction companies, financial institutions, city networks and government, as well as industry representatives from concrete, steel and timber and many more, including HeidelbergCement, Skanska, Stora Enso, Google and the Finnish government.

The report sets out to demystify the challenge of addressing embodied carbon emissions, through breaking down complex terminology and creating a common language to set a consensus-built definition for net zero embodied carbon.

Embodied carbon emissions have been overlooked in the past but, as shown by research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), achieving drastic cuts in all carbon emissions over the next decade is critical to keeping the global temperature rise to 1.5 oC above pre-industrial levels.

Addressing upfront carbon is, therefore, imperative to fighting the climate crisis, as new construction is expected to double the world's building stock by 2060, causing an increase in the carbon emissions occurring right now, says WorldGBC.

The organisation is calling for coordinated action from across the building and construction sector to dramatically change the way buildings are designed, built, used and deconstructed.

WorldGBC presents a pathway of actions that designers, investors, manufacturers, governments, nongovernmental organisations and researchers across the value chain can take to accelerate decarbonisation, address current market barriers and develop low-carbon alternative solutions.

However, the report warns that change will not happen unless there is a radical shift in how industry works together to enable a market transformation.

The transition towards mainstream net zero carbon standards requires immediate action to achieve greater awareness; innovation; improved processes to calculate, track and report embodied carbon; voluntary reduction targets from industry and the roll-out of new legislation at city, national and regional level.

Approaches such as maximising the use of existing assets, promoting renovation instead of demolition and seeking new circular business models that reduce reliance on carbon-intensive raw materials are also needed.

To kickstart cross-sector collaboration, WorldGBC is calling for new national and sectoral roadmaps to be developed, such as those already produced in Finland, Norway and Sweden, with strong support from industry and policymakers.

Demonstrating the feasibility of achieving zero carbon goals, the report is supported by case studies of existing best practice across the breadth of the building industry.

Businesses involved in design and delivery have already committed to ambitious individual or national decarbonisation strategies. For example, Skanska, a major development and construction group, is making strides in enabling projects to be evaluated for full lifecycle impacts.

Materials suppliers are also taking a leading role. HeidelbergCement has committed to developing carbon neutral products by 2050, and Dalmia Bharat Cement, one of India’s leading cement manufacturers, is committed to becoming a carbon negative group by 2040.

Cities have also been instrumental in pushing for new innovations and approaches. Oslo, Norway, has a commitment to fossil-free construction sites.

Vancouver, Canada, has mandated that embodied carbon be reduced by 40% in new buildings by 2030, as part of its climate emergency response, demonstrating the type of regulatory frameworks that can drive market change.

“Our new report is a solution-focused response to the urgent need to significantly reduce upfront emissions in buildings and construction and demand action across carbon-intensive industries and materials,” says WorldGBC CEO Cristina Gamboa.

“With the support of our global network and the endorsements we have received for the report, we are confident that we can stimulate market demand and facilitate radical value chain collaboration that will be truly transformative and benefit both people and planet,” Gamboa adds.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

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