What is Embodied Carbon?
Did you know:
Embodied carbon is the behind-the-scenes story of your building materials. It refers to the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of building materials. This lifecycle encompasses several stages:
Extraction and Raw Material Processing: This stage includes the mining of raw materials and their processing. For instance, the extraction of limestone to produce cement releases significant carbon dioxide.
Manufacturing: Once raw materials are processed, they move to manufacturing units. The energy consumed in these facilities, whether it's from renewable or non-renewable sources, contributes to the embodied carbon.
Transportation: Materials often travel long distances from their point of production to the construction site. The carbon emissions from vehicles, ships, and planes used for their transport add to the material's embodied carbon.
Construction: This phase involves the actual use of materials in building structures. Energy-intensive activities or processes during construction further contribute to embodied carbon.
Maintenance & Replacement: Over time, building materials may require maintenance or replacement. The production and installation of these replacements continue to add to the building's total embodied carbon.
End of Life: Eventually, when building materials are no longer usable, they are disposed of or recycled. The processes of demolition, transportation to landfills or recycling facilities, and waste processing all result in additional emissions.
While the focus has historically been on operational carbon emissions—those emissions produced by using a building (like heating, cooling, and lighting)—increasing attention is being given to embodied carbon. This is because the immediate impact of embodied carbon can often surpass initial operational emissions, especially as operational efficiencies improve and as we transition to cleaner energy sources for building operations.
Understanding and addressing embodied carbon is crucial. By selecting materials and construction practices that minimize these emissions, we can significantly reduce the environmental impact of our buildings and infrastructure, moving closer to a sustainable and carbon-neutral future.
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