Edinburgh Napier University

  This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art on embodied carbon and life cycle assessment (LCA) of buildings in the context of Latin America. It reviews the current situation by assessing existing policies and initiatives aimed at, or related to, the themes of embodied carbon and life cycle environmental impacts caused by buildings. Additionally, it investigates the availability of geographically relevant data, which forms the basis of reliable and realistic assessments. An in-depth review of available sources reveals a severe scarcity of building-related data in Latin America. To this end, we suggest three methods to sensibly adapt available world data to Latin America as a temporary measure to utilise until more robust datasets are developed by governments and other stakeholders. Each of the methods relates to one of the three main
approaches currently used in LCAs, namely, process-based, input-output and hybrid – thus allowing more accurate assessments across the whole spectrum of LCA methodologies. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future efforts and with a plea to all stakeholders to work together for a quicker transition to sustainable built environments in Latin America.