Realizing GHG Emissions Reductions for Large-Scale Infrastructure Projects in Ontario

为了避免气候变化带来的最严重的灾难性影响，并实现安大略省2020-2030年温室气体（GHG）减排目标，必须在基础设施设计和建设方面做出根本性的改变。基础设施部门为加拿大的GDP贡献了800亿美元；它的温室气体影响在整个加拿大社会引起共鸣。然而，在解释和减少这些排放方面几乎没有什么努力。为了应对这一挑战，该项目将开发最先进的温室气体核算和决策支持工具infro - clean。它将通过推进减少材料和能源使用的设计和施工实践，以及增加对低温室气体材料和燃料的采用，来减少温室气体排放。Infra-Clean将允许用户跟踪整个项目生命周期的实际排放量，提供有关现状排放的信息，并确保实际实现预期的减排。目前，市场上还没有一种工具包含了所设想的广度和复杂性。为了开发Infra-Clean，将进行基础研究，以填补材料和建筑活动产生的温室气体排放方面的知识空白。将评估真实世界的案例研究，以使最先进的研究立足于基础设施建设的现实。该项目团队由加拿大顶级研究型大学多伦多大学和碳影响倡议组织（Carbon Impact Initiative）合作，该组织由加拿大第二大总承包商EllisDon领导，也是加拿大一些最引人注目的项目的建筑商。通过在加拿大的产品组合中推广Infra-Clean，并在整个行业推广该工具，EllisDon完全有能力领导基础设施设计和施工的关键转型。这个令人兴奋的项目的成果有可能对基础设施的建设方式产生重大影响。因此，通过将具有成本效益的温室气体减排战略纳入项目开发决策的前沿，为工业，更广泛地说，为安大略省和加拿大经济带来好处。

To avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change, and meet Ontario's 2020-2030 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals, fundamental changes must be made in infrastructure design and construction. The infrastructure sector contributes $80 billion to Canada's GDP; its GHG impacts resonate throughout Canadian society. However, there has been little effort to account for and reduce these emissions. To address this challenge, this project will develop Infra-Clean, a state-of-the-art GHG accounting and decision support tool. It will reduce GHG emissions by advancing design and construction practices that decrease material and energy use, and increase adoption of low GHG materials and fuels. Infra-Clean will allow users to track actual emissions throughout the project life, providing information on status-quo emissions and ensuring that expected emission reductions are actually realized. Currently, no tool on the market incorporates the breadth and complexity envisioned. To develop Infra-Clean, fundamental research will be conducted to fill knowledge gaps about the GHG emissions from materials and construction activities. Real world case studies will be evaluated to ground the state-of-the-art research in the realities of infrastructure construction. The project team is a partnership between the University of Toronto, Canada's top research university, and the Carbon Impact Initiative, led by EllisDon, Canada's second largest general contractor and builder of some of the nation's highest profile projects. EllisDon is well positioned to lead a critical transformation of infrastructure design and construction by rolling out Infra-Clean across its Canadian portfolio, and marketing the tool across the industry. The outcomes of this exciting project have the potential to significantly influence how infrastructure is built. Thus, providing benefits to industry and more generally, the Ontario and Canadian economies, by incorporating cost-effective GHG emissions reduction strategies at the forefront of project development decisions.