Exterior of Grandview heights aquatic centre. The building has many windows and a roof curving downwards towards the middle

Embodied carbon of buildings: International policy review

Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre | Photo credit: Ema Peter Photography, courtesy of hcma

Reducing GHG emissions from buildings over their life cycle

Addressing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings and infrastructure is a key component of the global fight against climate change.

In addition to the current focus on operational GHG emissions, this increasingly involves considering embodied GHG emissions (commonly referred to as embodied carbon).

Embodied carbon in construction refers to the GHG emissions associated with the manufacturing, maintenance, and decommissioning of a structure.

The findings and recommendations in this report are based on a review of international policies and programs that are intended to reduce embodied GHG emissions of buildings and infrastructure projects over their life cycle.

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