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MATERIALS 47
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lasting and renewable harvested wood products that foster Chile is a strong advocate of international climate
sustainably managed forests. commitments, being a signatory to the Paris Agreement,
By integrating these principles into policy frameworks, which reflects its determination to achieve carbon neutrality
nations like Chile could develop effective strategies to offset by 2050. This goal is supported by a comprehensive strategy

emissions while enhancing carbon storage. This approach that includes significant progress in emission reductions,
positions timber construction not only as a sustainable accounting for 50 percent of the projected reduction, and
alternative but also as a critical element in achieving carbon the sustainable management of its extensive forests, which
neutrality by 2050 and aligning with the nation’s commitments cover 17.9 million hectares.
under the Paris Agreement. These forests are expected to act as natural carbon sinks,
The primary purpose of this work is to present a methodology offsetting the remaining 50 percent of national emissions.
for quantifying the biogenic carbon stored in wooden buildings Within this strategy, the construction sector accounts for
within the urban built environment of a city, particularly in approximately 31 percent of national emissions and is projected
contexts with limited or no available data on wood material to contribute, through sustainable building strategies, at least

use and carbon storage. 17 percent to the national emission reduction plan.
Additionally, a secondary aim of this research is to provide Over the past two decades, Chile has emerged as an
an initial understanding of how biogenic carbon is distributed international leader in the adoption of renewable energy,
in a large developing city, such as Santiago, Chile. particularly solar and wind energy, with more than 50 percent
Considering its significant expansion in recent decades and of the installed capacity in its electrical system coming from
its pressing need for new infrastructure, this study examines renewable sources.
the temporal behaviour of biogenic carbon and identifies future These energy sources have transformed the country’s energy

research directions to improve projections of wood usage and landscape, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions
biogenic carbon storage in the coming years. associated with electricity generation and, consequently, the
operational emissions of the built environment.
Reason Of Choosing Santiago While the country is expected to reach 100 percent
Chile has positioned itself as a regional leader in Latin America renewable energy by 2050, and national industries like lithium
in terms of sustainability and development in the construction and green hydrogen enable energy storage, the significant
industry. Despite being a developing country, Chile has adopted reduction in operational emissions from the built environment
policies that promote energy-efficient buildings through the alone would not be sufficient.
implementation of sustainable certifications, alongside tools

designed to encourage a more circular construction industry. zhang kaiyv
These initiatives aim to reduce the environmental footprint of
the rapid urban growth the country has experienced in recent
decades—a characteristic common to emerging nations that
face the need to quickly expand their infrastructure.
Furthermore, Chile has gradually begun to adopt more
complex models for assessing environmental impact, laying

the groundwork for the development of life cycle assessments
in construction and the quantification of embodied emissions.