It is unlikely that you know how much carbon was produced by making your driveway. But if you did, you might think about ways to build it better.

这就是科罗拉多州州长贾里德·波利斯（Jared Polis）于7月6日签署的“购买清洁科罗拉多州”立法的概念。根据新法律，未来的公共建设项目将必须满足使用七种常见建筑材料的明确环境标准。

通过HB21-1303: Global Warming Potential for Public Project Materials（购买清洁科罗拉多州立法的正式名称）科罗拉多州加入了一群越来越多的州追求碳减少的机会：在公共建筑和道路上的碳“体现”。在到2030年到2050年的目标是将排放量减少50％，科罗拉多州的排放量是美国各州中最雄心勃勃的气候目标。这项立法将帮助州实现这些大胆的目标。

What is embodied carbon?

如果您从未听说过具体的碳，那么您并不孤单。在建筑行业中，体现的碳是指材料的整个生命周期引起的温室气体排放：从制造，运输，安装和维护到处置或重复使用建筑材料。好用的买球外围app网站通常将体现的碳定量为每单位材料产生的碳量。有关材料“全球变暖潜力”的数据在环境产品声明（EPDS）中有记录，这些数据类似于食品的营养标签。通过公开访问的数据库（例如EC3工具），任何人都可以访问EPD，并直接比较数据以选择具有少量具体碳的产品。

What is Buy Clean Colorado?

购买清洁科罗拉多州使用EPD方法来帮助推动使用低颗粒碳材料的使用。账单要求国家建筑师办公室和运输部向每个建立政策，其中包括特定类别的建筑材料的最大可接受全球变暖潜力。好用的买球外围app网站这些材料全球变暖潜力的限制将适用于某些公共项目，包括建筑物，道路，公路和桥梁项目。

预计该限制应适用于2024年1月1日之后征求的项目。每四年将审查和调整所需的全球变暖潜在限制。

Industry impact

By shining a light on the carbon embodied in building materials, the Buy Clean Colorado legislation will increase demand for low-embodied-carbon products. In Colorado today, materials with lower global warming potential are already available and being used. It is possible to purchase two products with identical structural and performance characteristics, but with greatly varying amounts of embodied carbon. By establishing preferential purchasing for low-embodied-carbon materials, a new class of product is defined as desirable. The construction materials industry has generally welcomed this opportunity to expand their offerings.

RMI和其他人的分析表明，在建筑项目中，以低至无需成本的建筑项目中的体现碳减少了30％至50％。

While there are always costs associated with product improvement, many low-embodied-carbon versions of construction materials come at no cost premium. Analyses by RMI and others have shown that it is possible to reduce the embodied carbon in building projects by 30 to 50 percent at low to no cost, simply by specifying low-embodied-carbon materials. With further design work and material substitution, it is possible to have even greater positive impact. Using materials with higher recycled content, or more localized materials that reduce the need for transportation, can reduce costs as well as embodied carbon.

Lafargeholcim是科罗拉多州两家水泥厂之一的运营商，提供了一种低颗粒状的碳产品，该产品已在科罗拉多州的600车道英里的混凝土铺装上使用。该公司作证支持新法案，科罗拉多州交通运输部和其他行业代表也支持。好用的买球外围app网站购买清洁的科罗拉多州重点介绍了建筑产品制造商的机会，这些制造商已经采取了降低碳足迹的步骤，以了解对产品的需求增加。

Will it make a difference?

Cement is estimated to be responsible for 7 percent of global CO2 emissions. Reducing the embodied carbon in cement alone to the current cost-effective level can have an enormous impact locally and provide substantial contributions to Colorado’s ambitious climate goals. In addition, the new bill will encourage manufacturers to produce more products that have less environmental impact.

科罗拉多州的立法将作为其他州的模型，考虑到低颗粒碳材料的政策和代码。随着围绕碳和EPD的扫盲变得越来越普遍，您将不再需要怀疑通过制造车道生产了多少碳。您会知道，您可能会更好地建立它。