Construction sector accountable for 37% of carbon emissions, UN report

A new research by the United Nations shows a grim picture of the climate situation. The report states that 37% of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions are coming from the construction sector.

According to the UN, lockdowns imposed worldwide during Covid-19 paused the emissions coming from buildings and construction significantly in 2020. However, these trends are rising again, and the lack of meaningful reform in the sector means emissions will continue to grow and contribute to severe climate change.

The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2021 Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction report says that the sector accounted for 36% of global final energy consumption.

As per the report, CO2 emissions from buildings and construction have been increased at an alarming pace in recent years and later fallen to 2007 levels in 2020. The decline is mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while transformative, long-standing progress in decarbonizing stands limited.

UNEP claims that huge growth in emissions levels are expected from the buildings segment. Emissions usually rise if there is no determination to decarbonize buildings and improve their energy efficiency.

The UN report highlights that across Asia, energy usage in buildings ranged from 49% in China, to 25% in India, to 23% in the ASEAN region in 2019.

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said that this year has showed that climate change is an immediate, direct threat to every community on this planet, and it is only going to intensify.

The building and construction sector is a key source of greenhouse gas emission and must instantly be decarbonized via a triple strategy of dropping energy demand, decarbonizing the power source, and addressing building materials' carbon footprint, if the sector seriously intends to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Source Credit - https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/climate-change-greenhouse-emission-construction-sector-cop-26-summit-1866946-2021-10-20