Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
KATHMANDU: A new international study has warned that the global construction sector’s carbon footprint is set to double by 2050, posing a major threat to global climate goals including the Paris Agreement. The research, released ahead of UN World Cities Day, shows that construction now drives one-third of global CO₂ emissions, a significant increase from around 20% in 1995.
According to the study, cement, bricks, and metals alone accounted for over 55% of emissions in 2022, while the remaining emissions came from plastics, chemicals, transport, services, machinery, and on-site construction activities.
Lead author Chaohui Li of Peking University said that if current trends continue, the construction sector could exceed the carbon budget for 2°C warming as early as 2040, putting global climate commitments at critical risk.
Between 2023 and 2050, construction-related emissions are projected to reach 440 gigatons of CO₂, enough to consume the entire remaining global carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5°C, the study finds. Coauthor Prajal Pradhan of the University of Groningen emphasized that the findings indicate an urgent need for policy and structural change.
The report highlights a major shift in emissions from wealthy to developing regions. While high-income economies have stabilized their construction emissions, developing countries are experiencing rising emissions driven by rapid urbanization and continued reliance on carbon-intensive materials. Meanwhile, the use of low-carbon, bio-based materials such as engineered timber has declined, representing what the researchers call a “missed opportunity.”
The authors call for a global material revolution, urging governments and industries to shift to circular, low-carbon, and bio-based materials and redesign construction supply chains accordingly. Without decisive action, they warn, the construction sector alone could derail global climate targets within the next two decades.
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