Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities

The report argues that embodied carbon—emissions from material extraction, transport, construction, and end-of-life—accounts for up to half of a building's whole-life carbon footprint. It outlines nine solutions divided into three themes: enabling policy frameworks (low-carbon material requirements, whole-life carbon assessments, and clean construction executive orders), strengthening the low-carbon ecosystem (adaptive reuse, circular economy strategies, and electrification of heavy machinery), and spurring innovation (innovation hubs, residential deconstruction programmes, and online material marketplaces). The document emphasizes that public-private collaboration and local tailoring are essential to overcome regulatory constraints, ecosystem fragmentation, and workforce skill gaps.

• The built environment is the largest global contributor to CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately 40% of total emissions, with embodied carbon potentially representing up to half of a building's whole-life carbon footprint.
• Cement production is a primary driver of embodied carbon, contributing nearly 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions; however, using supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) can reduce the embodied carbon of concrete by up to 70%.
• Cities can reduce upfront carbon by mandating low-carbon materials through building codes and procurement policies, as seen in Marin County, California, which passed a low-carbon concrete code in November 2019.
• Whole-life carbon assessments (WLCAs) are critical for capturing emissions that occur before building occupancy; Vancouver's policy for buildings over three floors or 600 square metres is estimated to prevent up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.
• Public sector leadership through executive orders can drive market demand for sustainable machinery and materials; New York City's Executive Order 23 requires capital project agencies to lower embodied carbon through low-carbon concrete and low-emission vehicles.
• Large-scale adaptive reuse of existing structures significantly reduces emissions compared to new construction; the One Westside project in Los Angeles achieved a 33% reduction in embodied carbon by reusing structural steel from a former shopping mall.
• Shifting from demolition to systematic deconstruction maximizes material recovery and creates more jobs; in Portland, Oregon, deconstructed homes showed a net carbon benefit of approximately 7.6 MtCO2e compared to demolition.
• The use of recycled materials drastically lowers emissions; for example, producing one ton of newly manufactured bricks releases 258kg of CO2, whereas recycled bricks release only 2.7kg.
• Significant barriers to the transition include outdated building codes, a lack of standardized embodied carbon metrics, and a shortage of electric infrastructure for heavy construction machinery.

APA

World Economic Forum (2024). Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Reducing_Embodied_Carbon_in_Cities_2024.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities. 2024. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Reducing_Embodied_Carbon_in_Cities_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities |date=April 2024 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Reducing_Embodied_Carbon_in_Cities_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2024reducing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Reducing Embodied Carbon in Cities}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = apr, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Reducing_Embodied_Carbon_in_Cities_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }