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A new international study has projected that the global construction sector’s carbon footprint could be doubled by 2050, threatening to derail efforts to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets.

In 2022, over 55% of the construction industry’s carbon emissions stemmed from cementitious materials, bricks, and metals, while glass, plastics, chemicals, and bio-based materials contributed 6%, and the remaining 37% arose from transport, services, machinery, and on-site activities, according to the study.

Lead author Chaohui Li from Peking University summarizes: “The study shows that the construction sector now drives one-third of global CO₂ emissions, up from around 20% in 1995. If current trends continue, the sector can exceed the 2°C per annum carbon budget by 2040.”

Based on past data, different future emission scenarios were projected. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the construction carbon footprint alone will exceed the per-annum carbon budget for the 1.5°C and 2°C goals in the next two decades, not considering other industries.

“Between 2023 and 2050, cumulative construction-related emissions are expected to reach 440 gigatons of CO₂. This is enough to consume the entire remaining global carbon budget for 1.5°C,” explains coauthor Prajal Pradhan, a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

The study shows a significant shift in emissions from developed to developing regions. In 1995, high-income countries produced half of construction emissions.

According to the study, by 2022, emissions in these economies had largely stabilized, while growth in developing regions was increasingly driven by reliance on carbon-intensive materials such as steel and cement. At the same time, the use of bio-based materials such as timber has declined, underscoring a missed opportunity for low-carbon alternatives.

Meanwhile, the authors have called for a global “material revolution” – a fundamental shift away from carbon-intensive building materials toward low-carbon, circular, and bio-based alternatives such as engineered timber, bamboo, and recycled composites. Their analysis shows that cementitious materials, bricks and metals alone now account for more than half of the sector’s emissions, emphasizing the urgent need to reinvent how the world builds.

 “The challenges and solutions for decarbonizing construction are not globally uniform. Tipping full supply-chain-scale changes ultimately requires structural shifts material-wise, reducing reliance on traditional materials like cement, steel, and bricks, while exploring new alternatives,” explains coauthor Jurgen Kropp from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).

“Humanity has literally built itself into a corner with steel and cement,” says IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber. “To meet the Paris goals, we must reinvent the very materials that shape our cities. A global material revolution rooted in circularity, innovation, and cooperation can turn the construction sector from a climate problem into a cornerstone of a sustainable and resilient future.”

The Supreme Court (SC) is beginning the hearing of 16 writ petitions lodged against the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Spokesperson at the SC Arjun Prasad Koirala said that preliminary hearings on different writ petitions will begin from today.

The petitions were filed at the SC demanding the restoration of the HoR and annulment of the appointment of the Prime Minister.

The petitions were registered at the SC following the new political course developed in the country after the Gen-Z protests of September 8 and 9.

A person died and 21 others were injured in a bus accident at Damak Municipality-2 in Jhapa district last night.

Of the injured people, the health condition of a passenger is critical, while 20 others went home after treatment in health facilities, according to police.  

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khagendra Bahadur Khadka said the bus (Ba 2 Kha 1983) carrying 35 people was heading to Tandi in Morang district from Damak, Jhapa when the incident occurred.

Police said that they have taken bus driver Bhakta Bahadur Darji (39) of Miklajun in Morang district for interrogation.

There is a possibility of moderate snowfall in some high hilly and mountainous regions of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces today, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. 

According to the Department, one or two places in the high hilly and mountainous region of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces are likely to receive heavy snowfall today.

According to the Department, the weather is likely to be affected in Bagmati, Madhesh and Koshi Provinces from Thursday to Saturday due to a cyclone called 'Montha' developed in the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone is in the stage of entering into Andhra Pradesh of India and would arrive in Nepal gradually. It will then shift to the central part of Nepal, it is stated.   

As the system turns active, there is a chance of moderate snowfall in some areas of the high hill and mountainous regions of Koshi and Bagmati Provinces, and in some areas of the high hill and mountainous regions of Gandaki Province.

Due to potential rainfall and snowfall, risks such as sudden flooding and landslides in rivers and streams may arise, which could also affect daily life, road and air transportation, agriculture, tourism, and other sectors.

The water flow in the Bagmati, Kamala, Koshi, and Kankai rivers, along with their tributaries, is expected to increase significantly, the Department noted.

There is also a high possibility of flash floods in some rivers flowing through the Kathmandu Valley, Kavre, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Makwanpur, Chitwan, and Sindhuli in Bagmati province; Bara, Parsa, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Mahottari, Dhanusha, and Saptari in Madhesh province; and Sankhuwasabha, Taplejung, Panchthar, Tehrathum, Bhojpur, Dhankuta, Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari districts in Koshi Province.

Hence, the Department has called for all concerned agencies and the general public to adopt precautionary and safety measures.