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Embodied Carbon in Buildings: An Australian Perspective

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Abstract

Australia is at the forefront of the development of embodied carbon quantification techniques. This chapter explores the current status of these developments within the global context of embodied carbon assessment. It covers the evolving techniques of multi-region input-output (MRIO) analysis and hybrid analysis, as well as Australian data sources for estimating the carbon embodied within buildings. Current regulations relating to embodied carbon in Australia are discussed, and several case studies provide examples of current approaches that are being used to optimise embodied carbon within Australia’s buildings. This chapter concludes by offering a pathway for advancing the current awareness and development of embodied carbon tools, data, and policy within Australia as we strive towards the ultimate goal of ‘net-positive life cycle carbon’ buildings.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A node represents a good or service provided by a particular sector within an input-output matrix. Node-to-node connections represent a transaction between input-output sectors, i.e. the purchase of a good or service from one sector by another. A series of nodes, corresponding to a chain of transactions leading to the sector being assessed, is referred to as a path or pathway.

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Crawford, R.H., Stephan, A., Schmidt, M. (2018). Embodied Carbon in Buildings: An Australian Perspective. In: Pomponi, F., De Wolf, C., Moncaster, A. (eds) Embodied Carbon in Buildings. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72796-7_18

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