News Excerpt:

India's first city-specific Zero Carbon Buildings Action Plan (ZCBAP) has been launched in Nagpur.

More about the news:

• The ZCBAP road map covers various types of buildings, including public buildings, affordable housing, commercial buildings, and private homes.
• Under the action plan, buildings in the city will be transformed to meet net-zero emission goals by 2050.
• The plan seeks to contribute towards India's net-zero emission goal by 2070.
• It also includes strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the choice of building materials and improved design, construction, management, and deconstruction practices.
  • Residential, commercial, and institutional buildings were responsible for 58% of Nagpur’s total energy consumption and 56% of the city’s GHG emissions in 2017-18.

• Net Zero Buildings:

• Net-zero buildings aim to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from construction materials, building use, and end-of-life demolition by employing reduction strategies across their entire lifecycle. 

Way Forward:

The Zero Carbon Buildings Action Plan represents a significant milestone in Nagpur’s low-emission development, aligning with national and international goals for sustainable development and climate action. “This plan is adeptly interwoven with India’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that focus on reducing GHG emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from 2005 levels and on achieving the country’s long-term strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2070.