Washington State Carbon Emissions Estimation 2025 – 2050

Climate Positive Design (CPD) partnered with the Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) to support a study focused on understanding embodied carbon impacts across Washington State from 2025 to 2050. Using data from the Climate Positive Design Challenge, CPD extracted, validated, and analyzed emissions data to establish a baseline for business-as-usual embodied carbon across a range of project types, including sites and infrastructure.

The study delivered critical insights: embodied carbon is projected to rival operational carbon in its climate impact over the 25-year period. Of equal importance, the analysis revealed that site and infrastructure design—typically overlooked in emissions projections—represent a significant share of future carbon impacts.

These findings not only inform CLF’s broader carbon research but also underscore the opportunity for incorporating site and infrastructure into climate strategies. The resulting baseline provides a foundation for identifying opportunities for more climate positive design across the state and beyond.