Enablers, Challenges, and Carbon Emissions of Green and Low-Carbon Building Practices in Chongqing, China

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3339545/v1

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Enablers, Challenges, and Carbon Emissions of Green and Low-Carbon Building Practices in Chongqing, China

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3339545/v1

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The construction industry in China has embraced green construction evaluation standards, acknowledging the significance of addressing carbon emissions during the construction phase. This study provides an overview of the enablers, challenges, and carbon emissions associated with green and low-carbon building practices in Chongqing, China, highlighting key factors contributing to successful implementation and obstacles hindering progress. A questionnaire survey was conducted to understand these aspects better, distributing 420 questionnaires among individuals of different age groups, education levels, working units, and job experiences. Stakeholders from various sectors within the construction industry provided their perspectives. The study examines several enablers, including the development of building regulations, cost optimization for operation and maintenance, integration of renewable energy, planning policies, improvement of occupant comfort, lower project capital costs, and increased property value. The findings indicate that stakeholders generally agree on the positive contribution of these enablers to the implementation of green and low-carbon building practices. Energy and construction material optimization ranked the highest among the enablers, followed by government subsidies, tax breaks, environmentally friendly practices, and collaborative innovation. These enablers are crucial for achieving sustainability objectives and reducing carbon emissions in the built environment. The findings presented in this study offer valuable insights for policymakers, industry professionals, and stakeholders, enabling them to make informed decisions and take proactive measures to minimize carbon emissions in the construction sector. By addressing these challenges and leveraging the enablers, adopting green and low-carbon building practices can be accelerated, promoting sustainable development and reducing the environmental impact of the built environment in Chongqing, China.

Green and low carbon building

Enablers

Challenges

Carbon emission

Stakeholders

With the fast expansion of the social economy and construction industry, environmental pollution, ecological deterioration, and other challenges are becoming increasingly severe (Maury et al. 2022). Global industrialization and urbanization have consumed vast amounts of non-renewable energy while emitting enormous quantities of greenhouse gases, increasing global temperature and creating several environmental problems. According to Allison et al. (2023), the construction industry consumes 30% of the world's resources, 15% of freshwater, and one-quarter of all timber (Allison 2023). The construction industry also generates 40% of total solid waste in developed countries (Datta et al. 2022). Furthermore, the construction industry is also responsible for 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions (Liu et al. 2023). Carbon emission is the most challenging aspect of building construction due to the difficulty to define of defining a single emission source (Hong et al. 2015). In addition to construction and operating emissions, building components and materials production also significantly add to overall carbon emissions (Chen et al. 2023). It was noted that future climate change and its repercussions will include an increase in global temperature, extreme weather, the degradation of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, a rise in sea level, biodiversity loss, and the extinction of certain species if the effective methods are not implemented to limit or reduce carbon emissions (Singh and Singh 2012). Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent greenhouse gas and has a major environmental effect. Past research concluded that by 2050, carbon dioxide emitted using non-renewable energy sources will have increased by approximately 50% (de Souza et al. 2020). Eco-friendly measures must be adopted to design and create environmentally responsible buildings that consume fewer resources. As a result, the construction industry, a major significant carbon dioxide emitter, has focused more on green construction and sustainable materials in recent decades.

Furthermore, the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment confirms that limiting climate change to 1.5 degrees, agreeing to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, and striving for carbon neutrality by 2060 is critical to meeting these targets (Liu et al. 2023). Direct emissions through building operations are relatively small compared to other sectors. They are estimated at 5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but this number increases to 17 percent when accounting for indirect emissions from electricity and heat consumption (UN 2022). China is recognized at the top of the list among the significant seven carbon emitters in the world, with increased emissions since 1999. China’s Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) 2021 targeted lowering peak CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality, thus releasing an Action Plan for Carbon Dioxide Peaking before 2030 and a Working Guidance for Carbon Dioxide Peaking and Carbon Neutrality. Specific objectives and implementing plans are published at the regional level and across all sectors covering energy, industry, urban-rural development, construction, and transportation (UN 2022).

Green construction technologies may be effective for implementing sustainability in the construction sector (Abdelaal and Guo 2022). Green buildings can potentially reduce GHG emissions and work best against climate change at the lowest feasible cost. Carbon emission reduction over the life cycle of the building and carbon intensity reduction has become one of the most common sustainable construction indicators, hence, could be a reason for public sensitivity towards the development of low-carbon buildings (Luo and Chen 2020).

Specific buildings sector transformation recommendations by actor group suggest three main core areas for construction shift: regulate towards zero-carbon building stock, incentivize zero-carbon building stock, and facilitate zero-carbon building stock. A generic set of immediate actions has been planned and developed recently to initiate and accelerate China’s transformation of the buildings sector. Green and low-carbon building technology and sustainable construction are recent developments in China (Chongqing) because of curtailed awareness, understanding, and zero-carbon legislation, as compared to other countries such as the United Kingdom and other European nations (Bui et al. 2021). Although relevant initiatives such as policies and guidelines, as well as available methods, resources, and tools for designing or constructing Green, Low-carbon, and sustainable construction, are always employed to work and will also be a part of future plans. Despite all, questions such as "To what extent is China Chongqing's construction department (stakeholders, workers, and local people) aware of the current zero carbon initiatives?" and “Whether China Chongqing construction stakeholders, workers, and local resident ready to adopt and implement Green and Low-carbon building technology and sustainable construction?” remain unanswered.

Previous studies have discussed the motivators and challenges for green and low-carbon building technology (Mata et al. 2021). However, no prior has addressed the enablers of sustainable green and low-carbon building technology in much detail. Moreover, an integrated modeling approach was needed to categorize the aspects, give priority, and develop a solid framework. Our study proudly presents an integrated modeling approach to determine the holistic green building operational and development capabilities to cater to present and future research needs. This study aims to investigate the benefits and application of green and low-carbon technology in developing countries such as China Chongqing, where Chinese companies and Chinese stakeholders primarily perform construction activities. This study briefly discusses the application and challenges of green and low-carbon technology. It aims to fill the awareness gaps by assessing the knowledge of green and low-carbon building technology and sustainable construction. In this study, new buildings planned and built with the maximum operational and embodied carbon reduction throughout the building life cycle are considered and examined. Our primary target is to find sustainable factors that encourages public to employ green and low-carbon building technologies. According to most scholars Siciliano et al. (2021), it encompasses human and cultural aspects of sustainability. Still, others, like Pedroso et al. (2021), recommend the TBL approach to define sustainability sufficiently and to address the environmental and social impacts. Considering above facts, the proposed study attempts to provide answers to the following questions:

Which enablers and challenges contribute to adopting green and low-carbon building technology?

How do we assess sustainable green and low-carbon building technology enablers under data uncertainty?

How do we find an interdependent relationship among the enablers?

Following are the critical research contributions from both the modeling and literature sides of this study:

In this study, a comprehensive literature review on green and low-carbon building technologies was performed. Furthermore, the authors evaluate previous studies on sustainable green and low-carbon building technologies in depth and highlight research gaps. This research gap exists in both modeling and literature.

A systematic Literature Review (SLR) was used in this study, and an empirical investigation involving industrial practitioners and academic researchers to validate enablers in the real world. SLR is a proper statistical method for categorizing enablers under uncertainty. This aids in determining whether certain variables exist in industries.

These factors were prioritized using a mean value approach to develop a robust framework.

Chongqing is a major city in southwestern China situated at the Yangtze River (Chongqing) and the Jialing River with geographical coordinates of approximately 29.5630° N latitude and 106.5516° E longitude. Chongqing is a sprawling city known for its hilly terrain and mountainous surroundings. Building in the mountainous areas of Chongqing presents several unique challenges, and the local construction techniques need to be adapted to overcome these obstacles.

This study used a mixed approach, providing inferential and descriptive research results. To achieve the objective of this research, a data survey and systematic literature review were conducted to identify the enablers and problems confronting Green and Low-carbon Building Technology and sustainable construction practices both globally and in China Chongqing.

Systematic Literature Review

A systematic literature review (SLR) offers an overview of the research's scope. The key rationale for using SLR is that it gives a systematic method for extracting data. Search results from "IEEE Xplore," "ACM Digital Library," "Springer Link," "ISI Web of Science," "Science Direct," and "Google Scholar" were used for selecting articles from journals, conferences, and workshops. Well-defined research questions, search strings, and keywords were chosen to select articles.

Inclusion criteria were set as formal papers, including only journals, conferences, and books of years between 2015–2021, targeting the research that defines the relationship between green buildings and sustainability, drivers or challenges, motivation for the implementation, and case study, content analysis, questionnaire survey etc. Five question-based checklists described by Kitchenham and Charters. (2007) were developed to check the quality of selected articles.

Initially, 673 articles were selected; however, for the final selection of papers, the tollgate technique provided by Afzal et al. (2009) was used. Total 91 articles were selected, accounting for approximately 13.52% of the total primary study, as mentioned in Fig. 2. We also assigned a score to each selected article after applying QA criteria. The Kendall coefficient of concordance statistical test (W) was used to evaluate each selected article. Twenty-seven drivers and fourteen challenges of green and low-carbon building technology and sustainable construction were reported from 91 selected articles, and research questions were assessed and evaluated.

Implementation of the Fuzzy DEMATEL approach by decision-makers in construction was also checked as it is an effective Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach for tackling problems real-world in complicated decision-making systems for identifying direct and indirect linkages between system criteria and their interdependencies, allowing decision-makers better to recognize the consequences of these criteria on output.

Data survey

The primary data was collected through a two-step process involving a questionnaire survey (analyzed using statistical software) and Factor Analysis. Factor analysis was required to reduce and categorize challenges into critical groupings empirically.

The sample was collected from registered building companies in China's Ministry of Housing (Chongqing). The company's sample size in this study is 100 construction companies out of 300 contacted and 400 chosen persons, consisting of professionals who are involved Engineers, traction as stakeholders, Project Managers, Architects, Civil Engineers, and local literate people in these companies, which accounts for the whole population of companies for collecting information purposes as they were selected due to their active involvement in making green and low carbon strategic decisions. A questionnaire-based study with multiple parts was developed to collect data and capture key factors of low-carbon building development in the Chinese city of Chongqing.

The first section sought basic information from respondents, such as age, educational background, working organization, and job experience. In part 2, respondents were asked to rate the impact of the summarized 27 enablers and 15 challenges on low-carbon construction based on their understanding of the development of low-carbon buildings in Chongqing China. The respondents were requested to mark the corporate willingness to construct low-carbon buildings in Part 3. Based on the degree, the Likert scale was used (with 1 to 5 signifying "strongly disagree," "disagree," "neutral," "agree," and "strongly agree"). From September through March 2022, 420 questionnaires were distributed by field investigation in this study. Out of 402 responses, 376 were valid, so the actual response rate was 95.71%, and the valid response rate was 93.53%.

Enablers of Green and Low-Carbon Building

The study examined the success factors of green and low-carbon building technology while considering the opinions of key people, focusing on the enablers that contribute to its implementation and adoption. Overall, 27 key enablers were identified through a literature review and added to a questionnaire to track the public response. All enablers scored above 30% strongly agreed responses except attained higher rental rates that only scored 28.72% strongly agreed response. The lower mean value for it is the lowest among all to support the housing affordability index in China. Higher rental prices may increase the periodic charge per unit for the use of a property and thus can be detrimental to the public and market. The highest highly agreed response has been recorded for E18, marked as 40.96%, highlighting the incorporation and optimization of energy and construction materials. E18 reflects the most appropriate, sustainable, affordable, and trendy option to achieve green construction that offers little or no repercussions making it most voted enabler. Followed by E18, Table 1 is Enhanced return on investment also representing E25, E19, and E17 most valued enablers with 39.10%, 39.36%, and 39.89%, favoring the focus towards enhanced return on investment, improvement in safety and health, and further environmentally friendly approaches.

The development of building regulation also received a positive response of 33.24% highly agreed, indicating that it plays a crucial role in promoting green and low-carbon building practices. The respondents were well-recognized for the importance of robust building regulations in promoting green and low-carbon building practices. Similarly, the respondents recognized the importance of building trust among the public to encourage the adoption of green and low-carbon building technology. Public perception and awareness of the benefits of sustainable construction play a vital role in encouraging individuals to support and embrace environmentally friendly building practices. The respondents also acknowledged the significance of enabling renewable energy sources in reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainable energy use within buildings. They produced a strongly agreed response of 38.30%, while only 6.38% strongly disagree with E3.

Interestingly, the highest strongly disagreed response was also recorded against E3 i.e., 6.38%, and the reason behind it was intentions towards collaborative initiatives instead of solely focusing on the energy sector. Integrating renewable energy technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, can contribute to achieving energy efficiency and carbon neutrality. Planning policies 34.57% were recognized as an essential success factor in promoting green and low-carbon building practices. Smart building technologies, which optimize energy consumption, enhance operational efficiency, and provide intelligent monitoring and control systems, were identified as a significant enabler and produced valued responses near the highest, 37.77%, while the strongly disagreed responses were more intentioned toward policy establishment and implementation instead to transforms the traditional building designs despite admitting the fact that smart building technologies offer opportunities for reducing energy wastage, improving resource management, and enhancing occupant comfort and well-being.

Furthermore, reducing project capital costs was also highlighted as a significant success factor for green and low-carbon building technology as respondents highly acknowledged (38.03%) the importance of E6 due to having an opinion that this might incline the interest towards safely useable, technologically advanced, and highly affordable options hence can lower emissions at more significant rate. Cost-effectiveness is a key consideration for stakeholders when adopting sustainable construction practices. Strategies such as life cycle costing and innovative financing mechanisms can help overcome initial cost barriers. Corporate social responsibility was identified as a crucial enabler in driving the adoption of green and low-carbon building technology adoption, with 35.90% highly agreed, 5.32% strongly disagreed, and 21.28% neutral responses. Companies prioritizing sustainability and incorporating environmental and social considerations into their operations can positively influence the construction industry. The significance of reducing maintenance and operation costs for sustainable buildings is also emphasized. Energy-efficient designs, low-maintenance materials, and optimized building management systems are also marked as key enablers contributing to reducing long-term operational expenses and enhancing the economic viability of green construction. In the same way, respondents agreed that improving inhabitant comfort is crucial in promoting green and low-carbon building technology adoption. Sustainable buildings should prioritize factors such as indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and access to natural light to create healthy and pleasant living and working environments.

In summary, the study identified several success factors for green and low-carbon building technology, as shown in Table 1. These factors encompassed a range of areas, including regulatory frameworks, public perception, renewable energy integration, planning policies, smart building technologies, cost considerations, corporate responsibility, collaboration, occupant comfort, and awareness of green construction practices. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry professionals, and stakeholders in promoting and implementing sustainable construction practices.

Table 1

Success factors of green and low carbon building in Chongqing China
Sr. No.	Enablers	Strongly Disagree (%)	Disagree (%)	Neutral (%)	Agree (%)	Strongly Agree (%)
E1	Development in building regulations	4.79	5.85	18.35	37.77	33.24
E2	Increase the public’s trust	3.99	6.12	20.48	34.57	34.84
E3	Enable renewable energy	6.38	4.52	18.35	32.45	38.30
E4	Planning policy	3.99	4.52	20.21	36.70	34.57
E5	Smart building	4.79	5.05	18.62	33.78	37.77
E6	Lower project capital costs	3.19	6.91	23.67	28.19	38.03
E7	Corporate social responsibility	5.32	3.99	21.28	33.51	35.90
E8	Minimize operation and maintenance cost	3.72	7.98	19.41	30.05	38.83
E9	Collaborative innovation	3.46	5.85	22.87	32.45	35.37
E10	Improve inhabitant comfort	4.79	5.85	18.35	34.04	36.97
E11	Green construction awareness	4.26	6.65	17.02	34.04	38.03
E12	Green construction process necessitates	3.46	7.18	19.41	32.45	37.50
E13	Corporate green culture	5.59	5.32	21.01	32.18	35.90
E14	Expand investment	2.93	6.12	21.81	35.37	33.78
E15	Increase property value	3.19	7.18	18.09	34.57	36.97
E16	Improve overall innovation	5.59	5.05	18.62	32.45	38.30
E17	Environmentally friendly	5.59	4.26	18.35	31.91	39.89
E18	Optimization in energy and construction materials	2.93	7.18	17.29	31.65	40.96
E19	Improve safety and health	4.52	5.59	18.88	31.91	39.10
E20	Achieve lower total ownership costs	5.59	6.12	19.15	32.45	36.70
E21	Government subsidies and tax breaks	2.66	5.59	20.48	33.78	37.50
E22	Attain higher rental rates	4.26	5.59	25.53	35.90	28.72
E23	Waste minimization	4.52	5.05	21.81	31.38	37.23
E24	Minimize sanitation expenses	2.93	7.98	19.15	34.57	35.37
E25	Enhance return on investment	5.59	4.52	18.09	32.45	39.36
E26	Minimize environmental impact	3.99	6.91	19.95	32.98	36.17
E27	Increase carbon objectivity	4.79	5.3	19.68	35.37	35.64

Challenges of green and low carbon building

The study also aimed to identify and analyze the challenges associated with green and low-carbon building technology. Table 2 presents the challenges of green and low-carbon buildings in Chongqing China, collected from respondents. The most significant challenges were affordability and lack of public demand for green and smart buildings that produced the same value of 38.30% highly agreed response. These two factors are considered the public interest and demand along with affordability concerning societal economic classes, while 21.01% of neutral responses considered green buildings in high demand as they represent the trends and attract the public more as compared to traditional, thus not considered as critical challenges. Lack of knowledge and understanding of green and low-carbon construction practices also marked a significant challenge, with a voted value of 32.45% strongly agreed response, expressing a relatively low degree of disagreement. This shows that stakeholders have an acceptable level of knowledge and comprehension, while more efforts may be required to fill any remaining gaps. Respondents reported a moderate level of disagreement on stakeholders' lack of awareness. This suggests that, while stakeholders are aware, there is still potential for improvement in raising awareness and involving every relevant stakeholder. Most respondents agreed that there is a lack of public demand for green and low-carbon buildings and valued 35.11% and 34.84% strongly agreed and agreed responses, making it a significant challenge in the industry, as the adoption of sustainable construction practices heavily relies on market demand and willingness to prioritize environmental considerations. At the same time, some respondents also disagreed, to some extent, 5.85%, that there is a lack of client demand as trendy and innovative buildings are on higher demand in China. This suggests a reasonable level of interest and demand from clients for sustainable construction practices. However, efforts should still be made to promote the benefits and advantages of green buildings to clients. Mixed opinions were expressed regarding the lack of client awareness. A significant percentage of 34.3% and 28.99% strongly agreed or agreed respondents indicating agreement that clients' demands need to be elevated to increase demand for the successful incorporation of green buildings. This highlights the need for targeted awareness campaigns and education to improve client awareness and understanding. The lowest values were produced against two challenges, Insufficiency of government regulations and legislation (C9) and Lack of awareness of stakeholders (C2), while producing 32.45% strongly agreed responses. That means national formulation and implementation regarding green building agenda is already a government concern, and sufficient policies, regulation, and legislative framework is incorporated; hence, stakeholders are not unaware of the green sustainable concepts and thus disagree.

Table 2

Challenges of green and low carbon buildings in Chongqing China
Sr. No.	Challenges	Strongly Disagree (%)	Disagree (%)	Neutral (%)	Agree (%)	Strongly Agree (%)
C1	Lack of knowledge and understanding	3.99	7.45	21.01	31.38	36.17
C2	Lack of awareness of stakeholders	5.85	5.85	19.95	35.90	32.45
C3	Lack of demand	3.19	5.59	17.29	35.64	38.30
C4	Affordability	3.19	5.59	17.29	35.64	38.30
C5	Lack of client demand	5.32	5.85	18.88	34.84	35.11
C6	Lack of client awareness	2.39	8.24	26.06	28.99	34.31
C7	Lack of established alternative	4.52	6.65	21.01	32.18	35.64
C8	Lack of business case understanding	4.26	6.91	22.87	31.38	34.57
C9	Insufficiency of government regulations and legislation	4.52	8.24	18.88	35.90	32.45
C10	Lack of technology knowledge	4.52	6.38	23.40	32.71	32.98
C11	High initial construction cost	4.79	6.91	19.68	34.31	34.31
C12	Cost of green products	4.26	7.18	18.88	36.44	33.24
C13	Sustainability unawareness	4.79	7.71	16.49	33.51	37.50
C14	Absence of leadership and decision-making process	3.46	8.24	20.21	31.38	36.70

Carbon emission from construction equipment

Table 3 provides insights into the carbon emission levels associated with different types of construction machinery in Chongqing, China. The carbon emission factor represents the amount of carbon emissions produced per unit of work performed by the machinery. As Chongqing is a mountainous region, the carbon emissions from green and low-carbon buildings will be reasonably high (Tan et al. 2017). The study's findings can be used to estimate and analyze the carbon footprint of construction projects, assess the environmental impact of machinery usage, and inform decision-making processes for adopting more sustainable and low-carbon alternatives in the construction industry. The most significant are the Tire loader from Shovel and horizontal transport machinery, emitting 245.60 Kg/work; the Self-raising tower crane from Hoisting and vertical lifting machinery, emitting 201.32 Kg/work; and the grader from Compaction and pavement equipment with a total emission of 142.75/work. It is important to note that these emission factors are specific to the machinery models and specifications mentioned in the Table 3. The actual carbon emissions can vary depending on equipment maintenance, fuel efficiency, and operational practices.

There is a scarcity of data on nonroad construction equipment's carbon emissions and the equipment's relevant carbon emissions factors. The IPCC Guidelines for National GHG Inventories (IPCC 2006). provided the equipment energy consumption and related carbon emissions components utilized in this work. The emissions factors for key types of construction equipment and machinery were computed based on actual usage of construction machinery one work-shift expenses in Chongqing city.

Table 3

Carbon emission from construction machinery
Type	Machinery	Specification and Model		Carbon Emission factor (Kg/work)
Shovel and horizontal transport machinery	Crawler dozer	Power	75 kW	190.56
	Tire loader	Bucket capacity	2 m³	245.60
	Truck	Loading mass	4 t	93.41
	Truck (Large)	Loading mass	8 t	138.8
	Dump truck	Loading mass	8 t	160.3
	Lift truck	Loading mass	8 t	193.64
	Mortar transport truck	Loading capacity	4000 L	95.65
	Dumper	Loading mass	1 t	26.21
Hoisting and vertical lifting machinery	Crawler electrical crane	Lifting capacity	5 t	64.13
	Crawler crane	Lifting capacity	15 t	131.43
	Truck-mounted crane	Lifting capacity	5 t	89.56
	Truck-mounted crane (large)	Lifting capacity	8 t	111.23
	Self-raising tower crane	Lifting capacity	1500 kNm	201.32
Compaction and pavement equipment	Smooth-wheeled roller	Working weight	8 t	81.56
	Vibratory roller (large)	Working weight	6 t	76.15
	Compactor (electricity)	Compacting capacity	20–62 kNm	22.32
	Grader	Power	90 kW	142.75
Rebar and pre-stress machinery	Rebar bending machine	Diameter	40 mm	16.24
	Rebar cutting machine	Diameter	40 mm	36.65
	Rebar straightening machine	Diameter	14 mm	18.34

This study discussed several enablers and challenges regarding the sustainable construction and carbon emission of green and low-carbon building technology in Chongqing. China is paying great attention to environmental concerns throughout the enormous increase of urbanization and has established "green and low carbon" as a fundamental growth direction. The primary goal is to create "green and low carbon" cities, which calls for collaboration from many different governmental and social sectors, as these are the primary sources of carbon emissions in China. Promoting green and low-carbon building practices in Chongqing, China, requires the implementation of various enablers that can drive sustainable construction. For example, green construction awareness is crucial in promoting sustainable practices among stakeholders, including developers, contractors, architects, and homeowners. Relation between increasing awareness about the environmental benefits of green building and the available technologies and strategies, stakeholders can make informed decisions and actively contribute to reducing carbon emissions. Education campaigns, workshops, and seminars can be effective tools/enablers to raise green construction awareness and encourage adopting sustainable practices Darko A. and Chan (2017).

Green and low-carbon buildings often have higher property values due to their energy efficiency, lower operational costs, and positive environmental impact. In Chongqing, increasing property values can incentivize developers and homeowners to invest in sustainable construction practices. Studies have shown that green buildings command higher rents, have lower vacancy rates, and attract environmentally conscious tenants, thus providing economic benefits to stakeholders (Taltavull et al. 2017).

Developing a corporate green culture and expanding investment are also essential for driving sustainable construction practices in Chongqing China. When construction companies prioritize sustainability and environmental responsibility, they can actively seek green building certifications, implement sustainable construction processes, and adopt innovative technologies that reduce carbon emissions. This cultural shift within organizations can result in long-term sustainability commitments and contribute to the overall green transformation of the construction industry (Wang et al. 2022).

On the other hand, challenges are also an inevitable part of transitioning towards green and low-carbon buildings in Chongqing, China. Understanding and addressing these challenges is crucial for successfully adopting sustainable construction practices. One of the challenges is the limited availability and lack of established alternatives to conventional construction methods and materials. The market may have limited options for sustainable building materials, technologies, and construction practices. This can hinder the adoption of green and low-carbon building practices (Liu and Hu 2019). Many stakeholders in the construction industry may not fully understand the financial and economic benefits of green and low-carbon buildings. The lack of awareness and understanding of the business case for sustainable construction practices can hinder investment and decision-making in favor of such projects (Sánchez et al. 2019). Inadequacy of specific regulations and limited knowledge and understanding related to green and low-carbon buildings can hinder their widespread adoption. Clear policies, regulations, and incentives from the government are essential to create an enabling environment for sustainable construction practices (Lu et al. 2019).

In summary, the study identified several other challenges associated with green and low-carbon building technology. These challenges include the lack of technology knowledge, high initial construction costs, cost of green products, sustainability unawareness, absence of leadership and decision-making processes, and technical ability and IT skills as highlighted in Table 2. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers, industry professionals, and stakeholders in addressing these challenges and promoting the widespread adoption of green and low-carbon building practices.

It is essential to recognize the challenges faced by green and low-carbon building and work towards overcoming them through targeted policies, capacity building, knowledge dissemination, and industry collaboration. Governments, industry associations, educational institutions, and stakeholders need to work together to address these challenges and create an enabling environment for green and low-carbon building practices in Chongqing, China.

In Conclusion, this study highlights the significance of low-carbon buildings in mitigating urban and social carbon emissions in Chongqing, China. The investigation reveals key enablers and challenges shaping sustainable building technologies development in the region. The findings indicate that government support, including building regulations, planning policies, and financial incentives like subsidies and tax breaks, is crucial in promoting green construction. However, some obstacles hinder the widespread adoption of low-carbon buildings, such as the lack of awareness and demand among stakeholders. Overcoming these challenges necessitates collaborative efforts and a multi-faceted approach, focusing on education and awareness programs to bridge the knowledge gap and encourage sustainable practices among building industry professionals and stakeholders.

The construction industry can accelerate the transition toward green and low-carbon buildings by leveraging the identified enablers and addressing the challenges. Embracing sustainable practices not only benefits the environment but also offers economic advantages, enhances property value, improves occupant comfort, and contributes to society's overall well-being.

Data Availability Statement

Some or all data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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No competing interests reported.

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Enablers, Challenges, and Carbon Emissions of Green and Low-Carbon Building Practices in Chongqing, China

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Study area and Methodology

Systematic Literature Review

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Enablers of Green and Low-Carbon Building

Challenges of green and low carbon building

Carbon emission from construction equipment

Discussion

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