Lifecycle GHG Impacts in Building Code

Written by the New Buildings Institute

Building operations and construction are responsible for approximately 39% of humanity’s global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More than a fourth of those are embodied carbon emissions, those associated with the production of building materials and construction activities.

In addition, fluorinated gases (F-gas) used to make refrigerants are responsible for another 2% of all GHG emissions. Embodied emissions have been largely ignored until recently by regulators, manufacturers, architects, engineers and builders, but that is fast changing for obvious good reason: they constitute a big part of the climate problem...