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Material Diets for Climate-Neutral Construction.

ABSTRACT: The climate crisis is urging us to act fast. Buildings are a key leverage point in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the embodied emissions related to their construction often remain the hidden challenge of any ambitious policy. Therefore, in this paper, we explored material GHG neutralization where herbaceous biobased insulation materials with negative net-global warming potentials (GWPs) were used to compensate for building elements that necessarily release GHGs. Different material diets, as well as different building typologies, were modeled to assess the consequences in terms of biobased insulation requirements to reach climate neutrality. Our results show that climate-neutral construction can be built with sufficient energy performance to fulfill current standards and with building component thicknesses within a range of 1.05-0.58 m when timber- and bamboo-based construction is chosen. Concrete-based ones require insulation sizes that are too large and heavy to be supported by the dimensioned structures or accepted by urban regulations. Moreover, a time horizon of 20 years is more appropriate for assessing the contribution of material shifts to biobased materials in the transition period before 2050. This paper demonstrates that this is technically feasible and that climate neutrality in the construction sector just depends on the future that we choose.

SUBMITTER: Carcassi OB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9022436 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Material Diets for Climate-Neutral Construction.

Carcassi Olga Beatrice OB Habert Guillaume G Malighetti Laura Elisabetta LE Pittau Francesco F

Environmental science & technology 20220404 8

The climate crisis is urging us to act fast. Buildings are a key leverage point in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the embodied emissions related to their construction often remain the hidden challenge of any ambitious policy. Therefore, in this paper, we explored material GHG neutralization where herbaceous biobased insulation materials with negative net-global warming potentials (GWPs) were used to compensate for building elements that necessarily release GHGs. Different material ...[more]

PMID: 35377619

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Project description:BackgroundDiets combining adequate nutritional quality and low climate impact are highly needed for human and planet health.ObjectivesWe aimed to 1) evaluate nutrient density indexes' ability to predict mortality, and 2) assess the effects of diets varying in nutrient density and climate impact on total mortality.MethodsDietary data from 49,124 women and 47,651 men aged 35-65 y in the population-based prospective study Västerbotten Intervention Programme (Sweden) were used. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) were estimated using data from life cycle assessments. Fifteen variants of nutrient density indexes were evaluated and the index that best predicted mortality was used to estimate participants' nutrient density. GHGEs and nutrient density were adjusted for energy intakes. Total mortality risk was estimated by Cox proportional hazards models for 4 groups of women and men, respectively, i.e., higher nutrient density, lower climate impact (HNutr/LClim); higher nutrient density, higher climate impact (HNutr/HClim); lower nutrient density, lower climate impact (LNutr/LClim); and lower nutrient density, higher climate impact (LNutr/HClim-reference group).ResultsNRF11.3, a Sweden-adapted variant of the Nutrient Rich Foods index, was identified to have the best ability to predict mortality in the study population. Median follow-up times for women and men were 16.0 and 14.7 y, respectively. For women a significantly lower mortality risk was found for HNutr/LClim (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.79, 0.96; P = 0.008) and HNutr/HClim (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78, 0.97; P = 0.011) than for LNutr/HClim. Among men LNutr/LClim had a significantly higher mortality risk (HR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.21; P = 0.033) than LNutr/HClim.ConclusionsDiets beneficial for both health and climate are feasible and associated with lower mortality risk in women. Further studies are needed to understand how men may transition into diets that are more sustainable from a combined health and climate perspective.

Project description:The political choices made by the European institutions in the last twenty years show how the conviction is increasingly rooted that the management of environmental problems and, more specifically, the fight against climate change can find a valid solution in technology and eco-innovations. This is evident starting from the last two growth strategies adopted (Europe 2020 and the European Green Deal), from the long series of measures implemented to put them into practice and from the main R&I funding programs, such as Horizon Europe. In this context, the problem of justice and inclusiveness of the various initiatives implemented is attracting growing attention. In fact, if the institutional documents assume that green and smart participated projects are also fair and inclusive, a growing body of literature based on empirical studies seems to refute this assumption. Within this framework, the present work analyses first the critical literature and then the three main preparatory documents for the Horizon Europe Mission Climate-neutral and Smart Cities, which selected 100 European cities to become climate-neutral by 2030. These have been studied through the lens of environmental justice, in order to assess the European Commission's understanding of the existing and arising equity issues in the path toward climate neutrality. The research shows that, while the first two documents seemed informed by the idea that participation automatically translates into equality, the last guidelines show a deeper acknowledgement of the multidimensional nature of environmental justice. One that, beyond participation, also considers issues of distribution, rights, responsibilities and recognition. The present work should nevertheless be understood as a preparatory, analytical tool that will require the further definition and implementation of Climate City Contracts by the selected cities, in order to assess how the issue of environmental justice is effectively being considered in each specific context.

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Material Diets for Climate-Neutral Construction.

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Material Diets for Climate-Neutral Construction.

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