Whole Life Carbon Assessment as a Tool for Urban Climate Action

The mitigation of building-related greenhouse gas emissions (CO2eq) is now recognised as a prerequisite for achieving long-term climate objectives. Several European countries and local communities are taking action to implement the Whole Life Carbon (WLC) vision and make it practical, enabling the assessment of building life-cycle emissions. The paper presents a simplified, standardised methodology for assessing WLC in building projects, developed as part of scientific research carried out for an Italian Municipality. The proposed framework aims to support the systematic accounting and reporting of CO2eq emissions associated with new construction and renovations. The methodology is grounded in the Life Cycle Assessment standard and consistent with European standards and policy measures, including EN 15978, EN 15804, the Level(s) framework, and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive recast (EPBD, EU 2024/1275). It focuses on selected life cycle modules: production (A1–A3), construction (A4–A5), use (B4, B6), and end-of-life (C2–C4). A twofold application is defined, encompassing a WLC evaluation at both the early design phase and the as-built report, utilising different data and quality levels (e.g., material generic data vs. product-specific data). The paper outlines a simplified WLC framework to enhance comparability and decision-making in municipal contexts. Since the framework has not yet been validated through real case studies, the contribution describes the methodology underlying the simplified WLC assessment. This methodology represents the basis for a subsequent research phase focused on the application and validation of the framework in real case studies.