A review of information technology application in reducing carbon emission: From buildings to tunnels

With the increasing focus on the carbon neutrality, the low-carbon building (LCB) has been adopted as a strategic objective, with more and more information technologies (ITs) applied to LCB, significantly improving their carbon reduction capacity and service level. The research related to low-carbon tunnels (LCTs) is still in the initial exploration stage. To address the gaps, insights are provided into developing LCT using emerging ITs to enable more socioeconomic and environmental benefits. The study reviews the literature on how ITs serve the life cycle of LCBs. IT tools commonly employed in LCBs and further sorted out the contributions and current barriers ITs face to contribute to LCBs. Finally, suggestions are provided for emerging IT applications in LCTs. In the context of civil informatics, this study promotes the working on LCTs with clear perspectives and required research gaps, thus facilitating intelligent and sustainable development of tunnels and other infrastructures.