Work

Carbon storing in United States cities through biogenic storage and concrete carbonation in the built environment

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Here we present a detailed analysis of how existing buildings in U.S. cities can contribute to storing carbon. Carbon can be retained in two ways: as biogenic carbon in wood-based materials, and through carbonation of concrete, a natural process in which carbon dioxide reacts with cement-based compounds. We examined buildings constructed before 2000 across 12 large metropolitan areas, using building stock data, satellite imagery, and Google Street View images interpreted with computer vision. These sources were combined into 1715 building categories to estimate material use and carbon storage. The analysis shows that existing buildings could store around 134,863 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Chicago and Las Vegas contain the largest stores of biogenic carbon (156.06 and 72.88 million tons), while New York shows the highest contribution from concrete carbonation (15.36 million tons). These findings highlight the importance of developing effective building preservation, reuse, and demolition policies in support of long-term climate goals. Urban buildings constitute significant carbon storing through their construction materials, according to a study of 12 major United States cities using satellite imagery and computer vision with street-level images.

Source: Communications Earth & Environment

DOI: 10.1038/s43247-025-02788-y

Authors: Ming Hu, Siavash Ghorbany

Institution: University of Notre Dame

Language: English

Topic: Sustainability and Ecological Systems Analysis

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action, Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,490