Spatial and Temporal Variations of Embodied Carbon Emissions in China’s Infrastructure

The swift evolution of urbanization in China has led to a rapid increase in the demand for infrastructure. Infrastructure consumes significant amounts of construction materials. The production, packaging, transportation and use of these materials require energy and, therefore, are a source of carbon emissions. In order to make the construction of infrastructure satisfy people’s life demands and economic development, and at the same time conform to low carbon ideas, it is necessary to understand the spatial and temporal variations of embodied carbon emissions and its regional disparity. This study classifies and sorts the calculation parameters of infrastructure material stock and embodied carbon emissions. It estimates the trends and magnitude of 31 provinces over a period of 20 years (1997–2016) and analyzes the spatial-temporal characteristics. Our results indicate that: (1) The overall infrastructure embodied carbon emissions amount to 3204 billion tons; (2) the embodied carbon emissions from buildings are far greater than that of transportation infrastructure, however, the annual growth rate is contrary to this; (3) the spatial and temporal variations show regional inequality, with the eastern coastal area being higher than the central and western inland areas and the economically developed areas being higher than the less developed areas.

Download Full-text

Fair Share of Supply Chain Responsibility for Low Carbon Manufacturing

International Business ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9814-7.ch012 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 235-266

Author(s):

Yu Mei Wong

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Embodied Carbon ◽

Carbon Emissions Reduction ◽

Consumer Responsibility ◽

Embodied Carbon Emissions ◽

Sharing Responsibility

Large amounts of carbon emissions and pollution are generated during the manufacturing process for consumer goods. Low carbon manufacturing has been increasingly enquired or requested by stakeholders. However, international trade blurs the responsibility for carbon emissions reduction and raises the questions of responsibility allocation among producers and consumers. Scholars have been examining the nexus of producer versus consumer responsibility among supply chains. Recently, there have been discussions on the share of producer and consumer responsibility. Both producer and consumer responsibility approaches have intrinsic shortcomings and are ineffective in curbing the rise of carbon emissions in supply chains. Shared responsibility based on the equity principle attempts to address these issues. This chapter relates a case study of carbon impact on China's export and economy with scenarios which show that the benefits of carbon reduction by producers can trickle down along the supply chain and motivate the sharing responsibility under certain circumstances. The share of producer and consumer responsibility for low carbon manufacturing can be enabled when embodied carbon emissions in goods and services are priced and such accurate information is available. A mechanism engaging the global participation is recommended. The author calls for further research on the system pricing embodied carbon emission, the universal standard to calculate the embodied carbon emissions and to disclose the information, and the way to secure global cooperation and participation.

Download Full-text

Fair Share of Supply Chain Responsibility for Low Carbon Manufacturing

Smart Manufacturing Innovation and Transformation - Advances in Logistics, Operations, and Management Science ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-5836-3.ch012 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 303-332

Author(s):

Yu Mei Wong

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Accurate Information ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Embodied Carbon ◽

Carbon Emissions Reduction ◽

Consumer Responsibility ◽

Embodied Carbon Emissions ◽

Sharing Responsibility

Large amounts of carbon emissions and pollution are generated during the manufacturing process for consumer goods. Low carbon manufacturing has been increasingly enquired or requested by stakeholders. However, international trade blurs the responsibility for carbon emissions reduction and raises the questions of responsibility allocation among producers and consumers. Scholars have been examining the nexus of producer versus consumer responsibility among supply chains. Recently, there have been discussions on the share of producer and consumer responsibility. Both producer and consumer responsibility approaches have intrinsic shortcomings and are ineffective in curbing the rise of carbon emissions in supply chains. Shared responsibility based on the equity principle attempts to address these issues. This chapter relates a case study of carbon impact on China’s export and economy with scenarios which show that the benefits of carbon reduction by producers can trickle down along the supply chain and motivate the sharing responsibility under certain circumstances. The share of producer and consumer responsibility for low carbon manufacturing can be enabled when embodied carbon emissions in goods and services are priced and such accurate information is available. A mechanism engaging the global participation is recommended. The author calls for further research on the system pricing embodied carbon emission, the universal standard to calculate the embodied carbon emissions and to disclose the information, and the way to secure global cooperation and participation.

Download Full-text

Comparison of the Embodied Carbon Emissions and Direct Construction Costs for Modular and Conventional Residential Buildings in South Korea

Buildings ◽

10.3390/buildings12010051 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 51

Author(s):

Hanbyeol Jang ◽

Yonghan Ahn ◽

Seungjun Roh

Keyword(s):

Reinforced Concrete ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Construction Materials ◽

Residential Building ◽

Construction Method ◽

Modular Construction ◽

Construction Costs ◽

Direct Construction ◽

Embodied Carbon ◽

Embodied Carbon Emissions

Modular construction is an innovative new construction method that minimizes waste and improves efficiency within the construction industry. However, practitioners are hampered by the lack of environmental and economic sustainability analysis methods in this area. This study analyzes the embodied carbon emissions and direct construction costs incurred during the production phase of a modular residential building and provides comparison to an equivalent conventional residential building. Major drawings and design details for a modular residential building in South Korea were obtained, and the quantity take-off data for the major construction materials were analyzed for a modular construction method and a conventional construction method using a reinforced concrete structure under the same conditions. Focusing on major construction materials during the production phase, the embodied carbon emissions assessment revealed that adopting a modular construction approach reduced the environmental impact by approximately 36%, as compared to the conventional reinforced concrete method. However, in terms of the direct construction cost, the modular construction was approximately 8% more expensive than the conventional reinforced concrete construction method.

Download Full-text