Bigstock
Buildings alone account for 40% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. Two-thirds of that total impact is from operational emissions while the remainder is from embodied emissions. Embodied emissions include all the emissions required to produce everything that goes into our buildings the structure, enclosure, and all materials inside. Until recently, the focus in the building community has been on reducing operational emissions because they represent a bigger piece of the pie. But as we have driven down operational emissions through smarter designs, there has been a shift to focus on the remainder that is due to embodied carbon.
Between now and 2050 if construction trends continue, we will likely double the square footage of the built environment. In this short time period, half of the new construction emissions between now and 2050 will be from embodied carbon. Therefore, building owners, developers, designers, and contractors must take action and broaden their focus t