Principles of dynamic LCA
Bio-based building materials and temporary carbon storage

From a "terrestrial ecosystem balance" point of view, we understand that the GHGs emitted by plant matter are part of a (natural) cycle of decomposition (GHG emissions) and growth (GHG removals). This cycle takes place over a period of a few years for agro-sourced plants and several decades for tree wood. Conventional LCA methods, which follow ISO1 4040 and ISO 14044 standards, advocate that the "global warming" impact linked to biogenic CO₂ be neglected, following the assumption that any biogenic GHG release from a product is compensated for by the growth of the plant that replaces the material used for that product. Compared with emissions from materials of fossil origin, which took tens of millions of years to form, the plant cycle...