Using embodied carbon as a metric for design in the climate emergency

Overview

Stephen Beggs, leads the civil and structural engineering team at Curtins in Bristol and is the company's national lead on carbon reduction.

In this lunch and learn webinar, he will set out why carbon measurement is essential in engineering projects and describe the calculations necessary to undertake embodied carbon assessments.

Stephen will show how carbon data can be used to inform project decisions in discussions with clients.   

The second half of Stephen's presentation will include a case study of the Prince of Wales Bridge, the Second Severn Crossing, where Stephen worked on as a graduate.

Find out how an estimate of the carbon embodied in the bridge scheme 30 years ago compares with the carbon expended by the vehicles using it since. 

Stephen will also explore how the carbon embodied in many miles of embankments compares to carbon in the main bridge. He'll ask whether the crossing has met its social, environmental and economic objectives.

There are few easy answers but the webinar will highlight how engineers need to think broadly in the climate emergency to take well-informed decisions.