Josephine Vaughan

Accounting for the embodied carbon in construction materials and calculating the carbon footprint of entire construction projects in life-cycle assessments is a rapidly developing area in the construction industry. Carbon emission accounting relies on inventories that claim to represent the values of carbon contained in materials. However, these values vary between different carbon inventories. This scoping review identifies academic research on the carbon inventories used in Australia, as well as the methods used to compare these inventories. The study was conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. We identified 182 papers and narrowed these down to 11 that complied with the objectives of this study. Data for a range of construction materials were compared in these papers, as were the methods used to calculate the values. While some carbon inventories were used frequently, no clear preference for the method of calculating carbon values was apparent. The system boundaries also varied between publications, and a range of functional units was used. There was agreement that the variables involved in calculating carbon values for building materials are compounded by the practical issues of extracting and manufacturing materials in different regional or local conditions, cultures, and technological situations. It is therefore understandable that different inventories store different values when so many factors need to be considered. There is thus a clear need for agreement to be reached about standardisation of the processes involved. If the trustworthiness of the data stored in carbon inventories is questionable, so too are the outcomes of subsequent activities.

In the context of flood research, scholars and practitioners have recognised that Western-knowledge-driven engineering-based flood management techniques are insufficient for successful water use and management in urban design and planning practices, while ideas, practices, and knowledge from local people are essential. Traditional water knowledge (TWK) explains people’s profound understanding of natural processes and the ecological dependencies of water systems and connections with their local water system and the land, beliefs, sense, and practices that are an integral part of their culture. However, the concept of traditional knowledge may differ from scientific knowledge, as it represents a different worldview perspective from a modern Westernised world. Considering Khulna City, Bangladesh, as a case, this paper investigates the salient challenges and opportunities to integrate TWK with present urban design and planning practices. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including relevant government officials, NGO workers, researchers, urban professionals, and local elders. This study finds that TWK can contribute to urban design and planning practices by identifying helpful ecosystem services and site-specific information; by sharing strategies for surface water protection, open-space design, and rainwater harvesting; and encouraging design of spaces for psychological benefit, and ensuring sustainability and building flood resilience in an urban context. Furthermore, this research demonstrates how these elements relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, issues with knowledge transmission, the identification of the actual knowledge holders, poor governance, weak urban planning, minimal institutional capacity, and perceived cultural inferiority are significant challenges restricting the integration of TWK, despite its relevance to sustainability. This paper suggests that considering traditional water use and management is necessary to develop flood resilience in an urban context in a sustainable way.