Reducing Embodied Carbon Is Key to Meeting India’s Climate Targets

This briefing by RMI argues that reducing embodied carbon (EC)—emissions from the procurement, manufacturing, construction, and disposal of building materials—is essential for India to meet its COP26 climate commitments. The document highlights that while operational emissions are often the focus, the rapid growth of India's urban construction and the energy-intensive nature of its steel, cement, and brick industries present a significant risk of locking in high emissions for decades.

• Embodied carbon (EC) emissions in India's buildings sector have grown rapidly, with indirect emissions almost tripling between 2000 and 2017. Globally, EC emissions are expected to account for nearly half of all new construction emissions by 2050.
• The buildings sector contributed approximately 24 percent of India's total energy and process-related CO2 emissions in 2019. India's total building space is projected to more than double in the next 20 years, contributing to a projected 50 percent rise in the country's CO2 emissions, the largest increase of any nation.
• India is a global leader in the production of energy-intensive materials, ranking as the second-largest producer of steel, cement, and bricks. Specific projections for the coming decades include:
• Steel demand in India is estimated to increase from 111 Mt to 489 Mt over the next 30 years, with CO2 emissions rising from 300 million tons to 837 million tons. Brick demand is projected to grow three to four times over the next 20 years, reaching 750 billion to 1 trillion bricks annually. Cement production, which was 337 million tons in 2019 (resulting in ~250 Mt of CO2), could see emissions increase by three to six times by 2050, although the industry aims for a 45 percent reduction in emissions intensity by 2050 relative to 2010 levels.
• Available solutions for reducing EC could lower global cumulative CO2 emissions by 70 percent. Strategies include using a whole-building life-cycle assessment, increasing construction and demolition waste recycling, and adopting low-carbon materials, which could potentially reduce embodied carbon by 60 percent within two to three years.

APA

RMI (2021). Reducing Embodied Carbon Is Key to Meeting India’s Climate Targets. https://rmi.org/resources/reducing-embodied-carbon-is-key-to-meeting-indias-climate-targets/

Chicago

RMI. Reducing Embodied Carbon Is Key to Meeting India’s Climate Targets. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/reducing-embodied-carbon-is-key-to-meeting-indias-climate-targets/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Reducing Embodied Carbon Is Key to Meeting India’s Climate Targets |date=17 November 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/reducing-embodied-carbon-is-key-to-meeting-indias-climate-targets/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2021reducing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Reducing Embodied Carbon Is Key to Meeting India’s Climate Targets}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/reducing-embodied-carbon-is-key-to-meeting-indias-climate-targets/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }