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Embodied Carbon Pathways to 2050 for the United States, a collaboration between the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF), RMI, and the University of Washington (UW) Life Cycle Lab, provides an assessment of embodied carbon from US construction materials and explores pathways to align with a 1.5\u00b0C global warming limit.<\/p>\n
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Embodied carbon \u2012 the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated by the manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal of construction materials used in buildings, roads, and other infrastructure \u2012 is a critical and often overlooked solution for addressing climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The United States needs a 50% reduction by 2030 to align with a 1.5\u00b0C goal (Rhodium Group, 2023) and is not on track to meet this target. Rapid decarbonization of the US industrial and building sectors through energy efficiency, electrification, low-carbon material use, and material-efficient design is crucial to closing the emissions gap and preserving a livable climate. With limited time to act to avoid the worst consequences of climate change and increasing federal headwinds, focusing efforts on the highest potential strategies and associated policies is critical.<\/span><\/p>\n This research begins by establishing a \u201cbusiness-as-usual\u201d (BAU) trajectory for 30 key construction materials through 2050 and evaluates how far this baseline deviates from science-based targets. The analysis in this report focuses on the emissions from the raw material supply and extraction, transportation, and manufacturing of construction materials (A1-A3) used in the construction of new buildings and infrastructure in the United States. For buildings, the analysis focuses on structure, foundations, enclosure, and some interiors, and non-building infrastructure focuses on asphalt, concrete, sand and gravel, and steel.<\/span><\/p>\n Six modeled pathways evaluate the potential of strategies and policies to close the gap between BAU and 1.5\u00b0C-aligned trajectories. Only the \u201cBest Case\u201d scenario\u2014 combining aggressive adoption of all best practices and rapid development and deployment of emerging technologies\u2014approaches the necessary reductions by 2050. Scenarios focused on design innovation and energy strategies also showed substantial promise.<\/span><\/p>\n This report serves as a call to action, urging the industrial and construction sectors to continue progress towards global targets. The embodied carbon of key construction materials used in buildings and infrastructure in the United States is significant and requires deployment of a large range of strategies. While challenges remain, existing technologies and strategies can deliver meaningful reductions in the near term. Success will depend on rapid policy action, cross-sector collaboration, and sustained investment in both proven and emerging solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”20px||20px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]Embodied Carbon Pathways to 2050 for the United States<\/h2>\n