Quantifying greenhouse gas emissions through life cycle assessment (LCA) of selected flood control structures in Western Visayas

• Main Author: Fernandez, Miguel S.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Greenhouse gas mitigation > Philippines > Visayan Islands; Construction industry—Environmental aspects-Philippines > Visayan Islands; Civil Engineering
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_civ/2; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=etdm_civ
• Institution: De La Salle University

The Philippines is one of the most natural-hazard-prone countries where natural hazards occur, including geophysical disruption, meteorological and hydrological events. These events, such as landslides, typhoons, and floods, affect the country. In the Philippines, flood control projects in different regions are significant to mitigate the damages caused by these events. This sector in the construction industry is considered one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that continuously threaten environmental development. This study aims to understand how much GHG emissions alone contribute to the environmental impact and suggest preventive measures to make the country more sustainable. A quantitative tool was used to assess the environmental impact of selected flood control projects in Western Visayas through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) from “cradle-to-site.” It includes the material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, and construction phase and excludes the usage up to the disposal phase. Results show that the total carbon emission of selected flood control projects under major river basins and principal rivers in Western Visayas contributes 0.0021% of the total carbon emission in the Philippines. A large portion of the total carbon emissions in the selected data sets is due to the production of the materials used to construct flood control projects that govern 96.97%. The steel sheet piles contributed the highest GHG emission in the production phase when the total value of GHG emission was summed up per material. With this, it is recommended to have a GHG inventory as a strategic plan of addressing the GHG emission of infrastructures. A management strategy that serves several purposes in an organization to achieve goals in improving the policymaking, strategic, and investment planning. Keywords: Greenhouse gas emission, life cycle assessment, flood control project, cradle-to-site, SimaPro