Mapping urban carbon emissions in relation to local climate zones: Case of the building sector in Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand

This study focuses on carbon emissions of the building sector in relation to local climate zone (LCZ) classification, concentrating on two major parts. First, we estimated carbon emissions in the building sector, which were calculated for weekdays and weekends real-time daily energy consumption patterns. The estimations were divided into direct (from petroleum products consumption) and indirect emissions (from electricity consumption). Second, we examined urban carbon emissions mapping in relation to LCZ. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was used as the case study and 2016 as the base year for examination. The results illustrate that indirect emissions in Bangkok can be up to ten times higher than direct emissions. The analysis indicates that LCZ, such as compact high-rise, large low-rise, light industry, and warehouse zones had a relatively higher carbon emission intensity than others. Additionally, we identified that the compact high-rise zone has the highest indirect emission intensity, while the light industry and warehouse zone have the greatest direct emission intensity. These results provide insights into the dynamics of carbon emission characteristics in the building sector and the methodology purported here can be used to support low carbon city planning and policymaking in Bangkok.