Embodied carbon contributes to 11% of global annual energy-related emissions. Given the scale of the building industry's environmental impact, it is essential that every stakeholder in this sector prioritizes driving action on embodied carbon.
RMI and U.S. Green Building Council recently published a report to accelerate decarbonization by providing answers to key questions about embodied carbon such as "What should we prioritize to reduce embodied carbon?" or "What does the policy landscape look like for embodied carbon?"
This report stresses that now is the time to take decisive action using the best knowledge we have and, in parallel, to accelerate the sector’s learning curve and achieve rapid market transformation. A major challenge that hinders faster progress is “analysis paralysis.” Stakeholders need access to easily understandable scientific takeaways that cut through the noise and provide guidance on how to take immediate action in the building industry. On the other hand, we also must resist the urge to find a “silver bullet” by relying on a single material or design strategy to cut embodied carbon. We must take a critical eye to the science and find solutions that work, no matter where our leverage lies: in policy, on projects, or in product manufacturing.
The report identifies eleven questions that continue to hold back action on embodied carbon, and answers these questions with concise text and illustrations, providing key takeaways and action items as well as providing in-depth resources to be explored.
