Life Cycle Assessment of Carbon Footprint and Mitigation Strategies for Double-Layer Hollow Tents in Western Sichuan Pastoral Regions
Abstract
As a vital residential structure in the fragile ecosystem of Western Sichuan pastoral regions, tents generate substantial carbon emissions throughout their life cycle, yet lack standardized assessment frameworks. This study addresses this gap by developing a life cycle assessment model tailored for double-layer hollow tents, covering five phases: material production, transportation, construction, operation & maintenance, dismantling and recycling. The model quantifies carbon emissions at each phase and identifies dominant contributors. The results showed that the carbon emissions during the operation and maintenance phase and transportation phase accounted for the highest proportion, accounting for 74.1% and 13.8% of the total emissions, respectively, totaling 87.9%. Through sensitivity analysis, it was found that increasing the steel recovery rate to 85% can reduce carbon emissions during the demolition phase by 4.6%, while replacing traditional diesel transportation with electric trucks can reduce carbon emissions during transportation by 78.3%. By combining solar energy integration and localized material supply strategies, carbon emissions per unit area have been reduced by 46.6%. This study provides a methodological foundation for low-carbon tent design and offers technical support and methodological guidance for carbon emission accounting in the Western Sichuan pastoral area and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau region.