Carbon Sequestration Capabilities Assessment for Water & Soil Conservation Measures of Urban Production and Construction Projects

Urban Production and Construction Projects (UPCP) generate carbon emissions throughout their entire life cycle but also contribute to carbon sequestration through soil and water conservation measures. Evaluating their soil and water conservation carbon sequestration capacity holds significant implications for guiding the design of UPCP conservation measures and achieving dual carbon goals. This study proposes a Life Cycle Assessment-Land Use Adjustment (LCA-LUA) method and applies it to assess the carbon sequestration capacity of soil and water conservation in the Xiaba Flood Control Embankment Municipal Supporting and Greening Project in Hanbin District, Ankang City. The results indicate that: 1) The proportion of carbon emissions varies significantly across different life cycle stages of UPCP. Carbon emissions dominate in the material production, construction, and demolition phases, while carbon sequestration primarily occurs during the operation phase. 2) As UPCP progress through construction and operation, the carbon sequestration rate surpasses the carbon emission rate, achieving carbon neutrality after a certain operational period. 3) Vegetation-based soil and water conservation measures are the critical pathway for UPCP to achieve carbon neutrality over the entire life cycle. The LCA-LUA method demonstrates strong feasibility and applicability for evaluating UPCP carbon sequestration capacity, and the findings provide valuable references for carbon accounting in construction projects.