emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0-242957e0d3a19896.pdf

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) discusses gaps in life-cycle assessments (LCAs) used to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment. It argues that current LCAs may misdirect decarbonization efforts due to data gaps, lack of transparency, and the omission of biogenic carbon emissions from wood products.

• Life-cycle assessments (LCAs) in the built environment can produce misleading or incorrect results, potentially increasing GHG emissions. This variability is driven by gaps in available data and the failure to disclose assumptions and uncertainties that significantly impact results.
• LCAs often fail to account for 'biogenic carbon'—emissions from soil disturbance, conversion of old-growth forests, and imperfect reforestation—during the extraction and end-of-life stages of wood products. These omitted emissions can account for up to 72% of a wood product's total lifecycle emissions, challenging the view that wood is lower carbon than steel or concrete.
• Current LCAs frequently overlook regional variability in GHG emissions related to raw material extraction, production phase intensity, and end-of-life disposal conditions, often relying on average national, continental, or global data instead.
• Some LCA models may overstate the importance of embodied emissions by ignoring other critical factors, such as operational stage emissions and the impacts of other building systems, leading to a narrow focus that misses comprehensive GHG reduction opportunities.
• To decarbonize the built environment, the report recommends prioritizing energy efficiency, building durability, resiliency, and material efficiency over a narrow focus on embodied emissions. It also calls for the federal government to invest in regionalized national life-cycle inventories.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0-242957e0d3a19896.pdf. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0-242957e0d3a19896.pdf. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0-242957e0d3a19896.pdf |url=https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndemissionomissionsbackgrounderen0242957e0d3a19896pdf, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{emission-omissions-backgrounder-en\_0-242957e0d3a19896.pdf}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/emission-omissions-backgrounder-en_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }