In the past few decades, China's construction industry has undergone a swift expansion, increasing its energy use and carbon emissions (2). In an effort to meet climate goals (2), China has formulated guidelines to minimize carbon emissions in new development (3). However, the construction industry lacks effective regulatory standards and assessments to ensure energy efficiency. When inspecting the carbon impact of construction, the Chinese government primarily refers to the Green Building Evaluation Standard and the Technical Guidelines for Energy Efficiency Evaluation and Labeling of Civil Buildings, which comprehensively assess variables such as resource management, land planning, and building features (such as air conditioning units, light and sound impacts, and green spaces) (4,5). However, these standards rely on outdated baselines. For instance, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have been hailed as the first Olympics in history to achieve carbon neutrality (6), but the construction of the Olympic venues adhered to 2014 regulations for green buildings (7). Since 2014, carbon mitigation strategies have improved, and lower emission options could have been used for energy systems, construction materials, and operational strategies (8,9).
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