The hidden cost of decarbonising Canadian buildings : comparing the embodied suffering of air-source heat pumps and natural gas furnaces
Zhou, Nancy (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025102226271
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025102226271
Tiivistelmä
This dissertation examines the hidden social inequities (termed embodied suffering) within the supply chains of building heating technologies in Canada. Using a Social Life-Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), this dissertation compares an air-source heat pump (a decarbonisation strategy) with a natural gas furnace (business-as-usual strategy). The research addresses whether ethical decarbonisation is being pursued and discusses the trade-offs between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and embodied suffering in supply chains.
This dissertation applies a Reference Scale S-LCA across a cradle-to-grave system boundary, using generic data to identify social hotspots along life-cycle stages: extraction, manufacturing and assembly, construction and use, and end-of-life. The dissertation examines the S-LCA results against energy justice types (distributional, procedural, recognitional, restorative, intergenerational, and cosmopolitan).
The S-LCA reveals that Canadian buildings are decarbonising more ethically, as natural gas furnaces have more embodied suffering hotspots than air-source heat pumps. However, the ethical advantages of air-source heat pumps are not absolute; embodied suffering remains present across both technologies. For the Raw Material stage, China, India, and Chile are the key hotspots for air-source heat pumps, while China and India are the key hotspots for natural gas furnaces. For the Manufacturing and Assembly stage, China and Sweden are the key hotspots for air-source heat pumps while China, France, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Italy, Japan, and Germany are the key hotspots for natural gas furnaces. Under the Construction and Use stage, air-source heat pumps have more hotspots than natural gas furnaces. Under the End-of-Life stage, China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam are key hotspots for both air-source heat pumps and furnaces.
The dissertation concludes that current decarbonisation efforts risk reinforcing global inequities via colonialism and extractivism. Recommendations to rectify this include supply chain transparency and ethical procurement.
This dissertation applies a Reference Scale S-LCA across a cradle-to-grave system boundary, using generic data to identify social hotspots along life-cycle stages: extraction, manufacturing and assembly, construction and use, and end-of-life. The dissertation examines the S-LCA results against energy justice types (distributional, procedural, recognitional, restorative, intergenerational, and cosmopolitan).
The S-LCA reveals that Canadian buildings are decarbonising more ethically, as natural gas furnaces have more embodied suffering hotspots than air-source heat pumps. However, the ethical advantages of air-source heat pumps are not absolute; embodied suffering remains present across both technologies. For the Raw Material stage, China, India, and Chile are the key hotspots for air-source heat pumps, while China and India are the key hotspots for natural gas furnaces. For the Manufacturing and Assembly stage, China and Sweden are the key hotspots for air-source heat pumps while China, France, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Italy, Japan, and Germany are the key hotspots for natural gas furnaces. Under the Construction and Use stage, air-source heat pumps have more hotspots than natural gas furnaces. Under the End-of-Life stage, China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam are key hotspots for both air-source heat pumps and furnaces.
The dissertation concludes that current decarbonisation efforts risk reinforcing global inequities via colonialism and extractivism. Recommendations to rectify this include supply chain transparency and ethical procurement.