Construction work in Chennai will emit 230 mn tonnes of CO2: IIT-M

CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) researchers predict that Chennai could cumulatively emit 231.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (Co2) by 2040 from the construction and operations of buildings alone owing to rapid urbanisation.

Researchers suggest that switching to renewable sources of energy for operational requirements of buildings would be a key driver in reducing emissions from Chennai.

Explaining the significance of this study, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, said, “In order to achieve our emissions targets, we need to benchmark what our ‘business as usual’ emissions are likely to be in future and work backward. This study represents a step in trying to quantitatively address this problem.”

According to him, rapid urbanisation is likely to lead to an increase in built stock across the country. In India, building industry is estimated to account for around a quarter of total CO2 emissions. This is mainly due to the emissions that arise out of the production of raw materials (such as cement and steel), their transportation to construction sites, energy used during construction, and most importantly, the energy used during the operation of buildings.

In the first phase of the study, the researchers used geospatial land models developed by The Nature Conservancy - a global environmental non-profit organisation and used simulation techniques to develop a futuristic map of Chennai in 2040 that takes into account past trends as well as future constraints.

The model developed by IIT Madras researchers showed an increase in urban built-up areas accompanied by a decrease in water and wetlands. The graph below shows the change in land classes over a period between 2019 and 2040.

They also found that the single largest contributor to reducing emissions was the change in energy sources. The use of clean energy sources to supply 50% of a building’s operational energy needs was also likely to result in a corresponding reduction in cumulative CO2 emissions of up to 115 million tonnes, in the period between 2019 and 2040. Replacing traditional cement with low-carbon cement had a lower impact in reducing emissions.