Countries across the globe are working on decarbonisation strategies for their built environments. While strategies to reduce emissions in the built environment have previously focused on operational emissions, there is a growing emphasis to also address embodied carbon due to the rapid decarbonisation of the electricity sector.

Embodied carbon is defined as the embodied carbon emissions that occur upfront during construction from materials and site activities, in-use emissions from maintenance works, and end-of-life emissions. Out of these, upfront carbon is the most critical, as it is large (around 70% of all embodied carbon) and cannot be changed once the building opens as it is spent. In fact, the total amount of upfront emissions from construction activities is around 5 to 10% of Australia’s total yearly emissions. These emissions are also difficult to eliminate.

Australia needs to tackle embodied carbon to achieve its net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target.

This paper lays out how the built environment contributes to Australia’s carbon emissions and why we need to focus on upfront embodied carbon now. Based on research findings from Australia and abroad, it highlights the issues that need to be addressed to successfully tackle embodied carbon and to achieve Australia’s commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.