Reduction of Carbon Intensity: Rhetoric or Reality?

Industrial Development And Emission Of Carbon

Emissions reductions of carbon dioxide and cumulative carbon emissions from energy consumption have created widespread concern of various government agencies, scientific circle, and the general public (Wen et al., 2014). CO₂ emissions of China have surpassed those of the United States and became the highest in the world in 2006 (Huang et al., 2011). Non-fossil energy consumption to primary energy consumption is predicted to be 15% or so in China at around 20 percent. The proportion of secondary industry increased from 40.05% to 51.99% in 2000–2010, and the proportion of tertiary industry was stable around 40%. The proportion of secondary industry of China was to be forecast to be 48.7% by 2050 (Zhao & Tao, 2011). The Republic of Korea also announced a voluntary action plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 37% from the business-as-usual (BAU) level of 851 million by 2030 (World Energy Outlook, 2015).

In particular, Korea’s construction industry accounts for 48% of the total material consumption and 40% of the national energy consumption. In terms of CO₂ emissions during the production of construction materials, in addition, the construction sector accounts for about 25% (Cho & Chae, 2011). There has been a rising demand for certification on carbon emissions and reduction in construction materials and inventories in Korea (Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, 2016). In addition, the development of carbon reduction technologies has been active, and diverse low-carbon products have been produced (Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, 2016). Green building contributes to the reduction of GHG emission (Liu et al. 2016). 85% of total carbon emissions may be caused depending on the type of building due to the use of heating and cooling energy and electrical facilities (Asdrubali et al., 2013).