Embodied Carbon: Buildings

Opened the debate

The hon. Member for North Herefordshire discussed the urgent need to address climate change, particularly focusing on the significant role of the construction industry in contributing to carbon emissions and waste generation. She highlighted that extreme weather conditions are becoming increasingly common, putting pressure on healthcare systems, infrastructure, and natural environments. In her constituency, dozens of schools closed due to overheating, and many workplaces, hospitals, care homes, farmers, and communities faced critical water shortages. The speech emphasised the construction industry's responsibility for 25% of UK carbon emissions and urged for a whole-life carbon assessment approach to minimise both operational and embodied carbon emissions. She also mentioned the lack of Government intervention in regulating embodied carbon, calling on the need for national regulation to reduce complexity and deliver meaningful carbon reductions.

Government Response

The Minister thanked Ellie Chowns for securing the debate and acknowledged the importance of addressing embodied carbon in new buildings to meet net zero targets. She highlighted that while operational emissions will decrease, embodied carbon will become increasingly important. The Government recognises the need for better data, consistent measurement, transparency, and a pathway towards reduction but also pointed out challenges such as varied construction methods, end-of-life treatment assumptions, and the necessity for robust methodologies and tools. Despite these challenges, the Minister noted positive examples of industry leadership in tackling embodied carbon. She emphasised that rushed policy could lead to inconsistent assessments, poor-quality data, disputes about methodology, and perverse incentives, potentially undermining safety or increasing defects. The Government is considering several areas: methodology, data quality, industry capacity, sequencing between measurement and reduction, and economic impacts. They are consulting on planning reforms which encourage the reuse of existing structures and materials. The Minister highlighted ongoing work to develop guidance for buyers and producers of construction products on embodied emissions reporting, product classifications, and green procurement approaches to support better building-level decisions. She concluded by affirming that while complexity matters, responsible Government must design an approach that is robust, proportionate, and deliverable.