Embodied energy and carbon emissions of building materials in China

Abstract

Increasing building constructions have become one of the fastest-growing drivers of carbon emissions. Energy conservation and carbon reduction in buildings have become increasingly crucial in the context of global carbon neutrality. This paper assesses the annual total energy and carbon embodied in the ten most intensively used building materials in China, aiming to find potential CO2 reduction opportunities in the construction industry from a macroscopic perspective. The results show that: (1) the embodied energy and carbon of cement, steel, and brick account for more than 70% of the total embodied energy and carbon of all building materials; (2) differences in the embodied energy and carbon between steel-concrete buildings and brick-concrete buildings are not distinct; (3) disparities in the embodied energy and carbon of building materials between different regions are significant. The eastern and south-eastern regions consume excessive building materials and embody significantly higher energy and carbon than other regions. Several strategies are provided for China's building sector in energy and carbon reduction.