Without action, the share of Australia’s overall greenhouse gas emissions caused by embodied carbon in buildings could rise by over 50 percent between 2019 and 2050, finds a joint report by thinkstep-anz and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).

Embodied Carbon & Embodied Energy in Australia’s Buildings highlights the increasing significance of embodied carbon and embodied energy in the building sector’s carbon footprint. The report compares the 2019 baseline year to a 2050 business-as-usual scenario to show what could happen without deliberate action on embodied emissions.

It finds that embodied carbon will replace operational carbon as the dominant source of building emissions as Australia’s electricity grid decarbonises.

The report outlines a range of supply side and demand side strategies to reduce embodied carbon and embodied energy. Both strategies are recognised as often complementary.

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