Research on Carbon Emission of 5G Base Station Construction Based on LCA: A Case Study in Shenzhen City

With the new infrastructure construction proposed in China, 5G base stations as the basis for it will make the environmental impact during the construction process. Quantifying the environmental impact of 5G base station construction is a prerequisite for achieving carbon neutrality. This study builds a carbon emission assessment model for the base station construction based on the life cycle assessment method, and takes 5G base station in Shenzhen as an example to quantify its environmental impact in the form of carbon dioxide equivalent and analyze the factors affecting carbon emission. The total carbon emission of 5G station in Shenzhen city is 2.1–2.5 million tons in 2020. Moreover, the study found that the carbon emissions of 5G base station can be offset by the 5-years carbon sequestration of 205.63 km² trees. In this way, carbon neutrality of 5G base station in Shenzhen will be achieved by 2025. The results can provide the theoretical basis and data reference for government departments to scientifically formulate carbon emission reduction policies for base station construction.