Water, energy, and carbon dioxide footprints of the construction sector: A case study on developed and developing economies

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 194; p. 116935
• Main Authors: Pomponi, Francesco, Stephan, André
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.04.2021
• Subjects: Carbon; Carbon Dioxide - analysis; Construction; Embodied energy; Environmentally extended; Footprint; India; Input-output analysis; Italy; Multi-regional; South Africa; Structural path analysis; Water; Italy; South Africa; India; Water; Footprint; Construction; IEA; Embodied energy; EEMRIO; Input-output analysis; Structural path analysis; GHG; LCA; Carbon; MRIO; WF; OECD; Multi-regional; Environmentally extended
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.116935

•Novel method for water, energy, and carbon footprints of construction.•Application to construction sectors in India, Italy, South Africa and the UK.•No significant correlation between water, energy, and carbon footprints.•Water footprints of construction activities range from 11.84 L/USD to 78.12 L/USD.•More developed economies exhibit a higher share of international WF than developing economies. Buildings and construction are major driver of anthropogenic environmental effects. While energy use and CO2 emissions of buildings and construction have been quantified, their water footprint remains understudied from an economy-wide perspective. We use environmentally-extended multi-regional input-output analysis to quantify the water, energy and carbon (dioxide) footprints associated with the construction sector of India, Italy, South Africa, and the UK, disaggregating the supply chains driving these environmental effects by using structural path analysis. Comparisons are made in terms of contributions by country, by sector, by stage of the supply chain and in terms of actual supply chain pathways. Results show that Italy and the UK have more disaggregated and international supply chains compared to India and South Africa. Total (i.e. direct + indirect) water footprints of construction sectors vary from 11.8 to 14.8 L/USD for all countries, except India at 78.1 L/USD. There was no notable correlation between water and energy and carbon dioxide footprints in terms of sectoral contributions, even if the latter two are correlated. More developed economies exhibit a higher share of international WF than developing economies. The current focus on energy and carbon dioxide footprints might therefore miss out on significant water impacts caused by construction activities, globally.