Baseline Knowledge of Building Carbon Emissions: A Survey of Ghanaian Construction Professionals

Purpose: Climate change has become a topical issue for the past decade. The emission of greenhouse gases especially carbon dioxide has increased drastically and the construction industry contributes largely to this emission. It is against this backdrop that the study sort to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of construction professionals within the Ghanian milieu on carbon emissions. Design/methodology: Through an extensive literature review, variables for the assessment of the knowledge level of the construction professional were collected. The study adopted the quantitative approach and questionnaires were distributed to the targeted professionals. The study received a total of 140 responses which were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings: The study found out that, professionals in Ghana are indifferent in their willingness and sense of responsibility to deliver buildings with low carbon emissions. The basic knowledge on the two types of emission namely, embodied and operational carbon is low as well as their priority on these types of emissions. The study found that Policy and regulations (Construction sector), More efficient construction processes/techniques, zero carbon living on realizing zero carbon buildings, and increased use of local materials were respectively the top four rated mitigation strategies which were known by the construction professionals. On the other hand, mitigation strategies such as carbon sequestration and extending buildings life span were not common knowledge to the professionals. Research limitations and implication: The construction regulatory and professional bodies should team up with the government to raise the awareness of carbon emission and form energy efficient policies which will encourage the use of low carbon materials, and the use of energy efficient equipment in our homes. Originality/Value: The research implications can assist efforts being made into building carbon emission reduction by offering academics and professionals more insight into the subject in the Ghanaian context, providing an immense opportunity for much to be gleaned from its findings and potential value for further studies on the subject.