Diagram referenced from LETI reports
If you already know what is at stake with the global environmental situation and are ready to commit to Net Zero Carbon in your or your company’s operation, then the recommended place to start from is by knowing about the science-based aims set by the WGBC Advancing Net Zero initiative and the specific targets set by the London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI).
The WGBC is a main group of working Green Building Councils from around the World, working together to decarbonise the built environment. Clients and organizations can participate in its commitment program to demonstrate how they are part of this global effort and act responsibly.
LETI is a network of over 1000 built environment professionals that are working together to put London on the path to a zero-carbon future. The group calculates that by 2025, 100 percent of new buildings must be designed to deliver net zero carbon, and the whole construction industry will need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary. At the time of writing this… this is 3 years away from now.
Why when we talk about Net Zero Carbon, does it reference Whole Life Carbon?
Operational Carbon is the total carbon produced from all energy supplied to a building to keep it warm, cool, ventilated, lit, and powered. This is the energy used to operate a bulb.
Embodied carbon is the total carbon from the production of materials, including extraction of raw materials, manufacture, transport to site, installation, (all this is also called Upfront carbon) and strip-out, transport and processing impacts from disposal at end-of-life (also called Downstream carbon). This is all the energy used to make, deliver, replace and strip-out a light bulb.
To calculate the net amount of carbon emitted for the bult environment we need to talk about both these areas of emission. All carbon is going out into the same volume of Earth’s atmosphere so there is no escaping of it no matter where or by whom it has been produced by. This is why it is a global effort and it needs all of us to take part.
Read more about the WGBC Advancing Net Zero programme HERE
Read more about LETI Net Zero Carbon targets HERE
