Artificial intelligence- and blockchain-enabled carbon emissions ledger system (AB-CELS) for sustainable construction processes

Abstract

Material transportation and on-site assembly are the building lifecycle phases that produce significant carbon emissions. However, traditional methods for capturing and recording these emissions lack automation, traceability, and immutability. This limitation hinders project stakeholders from data-driven decision-makings to promote sustainable construction practices and effectively implement regulations aimed at reducing carbon emissions. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a proof of concept for a transformational emissions ledger system that integrates an AI-powered large multimodal model for automatic parsing of emission-relevant data and a blockchain-enabled smart contract for a traceable and immutable emissions ledger. The proposed solution enables project stakeholders to automatically generate an immutable emissions ledger recorded on blockchain during the material transportation and on-site assembly phases, thereby enhancing their ability to make informed decisions regarding carbon emissions management. Additionally, this system enables regulatory approaches, including subsidies and tax incentives, all anchored in an immutable emissions ledger based on blockchain.