Eliminating Versus Offsetting Embodied Carbon
Exyte Hargreaves • 29 April 2021
Together, construction and buildings are responsible for 39% of all the carbon emissions in the world. With the UK government planning to bring forward the net zero target from 2050 to 2035 and 8 out of 10 local authorities declaring their ambitions to become carbon neutral ahead of the 2035 target, the pressure is on for the industry to not only achieve this, but to find the solution to do so.
What is Carbon Offsetting?
Carbon Offsetting allows businesses to compensate for the carbon they produce through investing in environmental schemes that have a positive impact elsewhere, creating a balance of producing embodied carbon through operation and reducing it elsewhere. This is often done through investing in renewable energy in developing countries or planting new trees to counteract embodied carbon through reforestation programs.
Does Carbon Offsetting work?
Creating a balance between the carbon produced and the carbon captured from the atmosphere seems like a simple solution and for many it is. The cost of offsetting carbon versus the cost of eliminating carbon is often economically the greater option and enables businesses to continue in operation with zero disruption. Investing in the environment is a positive step forward for businesses, however, it doesn’t quite solve the root cause of the problem; contributing embodied carbon in the first place. Whilst offsetting carbon works to a certain extent, there have been several flaws identified as to how it may not be as effective as we may initially believe. For example, according to Greenpeace, a newly planted tree can take as many as 20 years to capture the amount of CO2 that a carbon offsetting scheme promises.
Eliminating Carbon
When eliminating carbon in the construction industry, we must assess the whole lifecycle of the building, starting at design and construction through to operation and disposal, to find solutions in reducing and removing embodied carbon across all activities. This, we all know isn’t straightforward task however an essential one, not only to meet the UK government’s net zero target but also to resolve the current climate emergency. It’s a task that most of us don’t have all the answers to yet, but are dedicated to applying the creativity, expertise and innovation to work towards finding the solutions to make the world a safer, better place.
Conclusion
To solve the climate change crisis, of course the ideal would be to eliminate embodied carbon from operations, however, the reality is that most of the industry isn’t there yet. As we innovate in new technologies and methodology to reduce embodied carbon from activity, offsetting the remaining carbon by positively contributing towards the environment for many businesses could well be the first step in the right direction.
At Exyte Hargreaves, we are working towards becoming a net zero business by 2030, applying our forward-thinking expertise to engineer innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions across all of our activities.
