Current Affairs · · GS3 · Environment

Today's buildings and plants will lock in India's emissions for decades

A Hindu opinion piece argues that the buildings, power grids, steel plants and cement kilns India builds in the next few years will shape its emissions until 2070. Choosing efficient, low-carbon options now avoids costly retrofits later. It calls for lifecycle assessment, cheaper green finance and green public procurement.

Event date:

REq1
  1. Note1 / 5

    WHY IN NEWS?

    • A Hindu opinion piece says India's coming investment cycle will decide its carbon future.
    • It cites estimates that most of the buildings India will have by 2070 are yet to be built.
    • India plans to raise steel capacity to 300 million tonnes by 2030-31, and cement demand is rising.
    • The writer warns of carbon lock-in if these assets are built the old way.
    • India's target is net-zero emissions by 2070.
  2. Note2 / 5

    WHERE THE CHOICES LIE

    SectorLow-carbon optionPolicy tool
    BuildingsEfficient design, cooling and materialsEnergy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code 2024; Eco-Niwas Samhita 2024
    PowerRenewables with grid and storageGreen Energy Corridors; pumped storage; batteries
    SteelScrap, cleaner furnaces, green hydrogenGreen Steel Taxonomy, 2024
    CementLess clinker, alternative fuels, carbon captureSector roadmaps; carbon market
    ProcurementBuy low-emission materialsGreen public procurement
  3. Note3 / 5

    KEY CONCEPTS

    1. What is carbon lock-in?

    When long-lived assets such as power plants or buildings are built inefficiently, they keep emitting for decades. Changing them later is costly.

    1. What is embodied carbon?

    It is the emissions from making and transporting materials like steel and cement, before a building is even used.

    1. What is the Green Steel Taxonomy?

    Released by the Steel Ministry in 2024, it rates steel by emissions per tonne. Lower emissions earn a "green" label and higher star ratings.

    1. What is the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme?

    Notified in 2023, it sets emissions-intensity targets for heavy industries. Firms that beat targets earn credits they can sell.

  4. Note4 / 5

    THE CHALLENGES

    These points are the writer's argument.

    • Grid bottlenecks: Some renewable capacity cannot reach consumers without new transmission lines.
    • Costly finance: Higher borrowing costs in India raise the price of clean projects.
    • Immature technology: Green hydrogen steelmaking is still expensive.
    • Weak enforcement: Building codes are adopted unevenly across States.
    • Just transition: Coal regions need new jobs and skills as the economy shifts.
  5. Note5 / 5

    WAY FORWARD

    These are the writer's suggestions, not adopted policy.

    • Assess lifecycle emissions before approving big projects.
    • Plan power as a system: Link generation, transmission and storage.
    • Lower finance costs through credit guarantees and payment security.
    • Use the carbon market and public tenders to reward low-emission steel and cement.
    • Enforce building codes through approvals and audits.
    • Protect workers in coal and heavy industry regions.

Sources

Syllabus

PaperSubjectSub-topic
GS3EnvironmentClimate change, energy, infrastructure, investment models, industry
GS3EconomyEnergy, infrastructure, investment models, industry
PrelimsEnvironmentNet zero 2070, Green Steel Taxonomy, CCTS, ECSBC, Eco-Niwas Samhita

Topics

Agriculture and EnvironmentIndustryGovernance

Related previous-year questions

Asked in earlier UPSC Prelims papers on this topic. Answer, then check.

  1. UPSC Prelims 2026 · Environment and Ecology · Climate Change

    Consider the following statements with reference to India's response to climate change: I. India's Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) is a crucial tool for achieving net-zero emissions by 2070. II. India's 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted in December, 2024 recorded around 8% decrease in Greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 over 2019. III. Climate-resilient development necessarily depends on quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets. Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct? 1. Statement I is empirically supported by statement II. 2. Statement III contradicts the approach implicit in statement I. 3. Statement I and statement III together establish the premise of long-term sustainability. Select the answer using the code given below:

    1. 1 only
    2. 1 and 2
    3. 2 and 3
    4. 3 only
    Show answer

    Answer: B. India submitted its Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS) at the COP27 held in Sharm El Sheikh in 2022 under the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. It is a long-term roadmap prepared by countries to achieve climate goals, pursue economic development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions over time and align with the Paris Agreement temperature goals. It is generally targeted toward the mid-century period (around 2050-2070). India submitted its 4th Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) to the UNFCCC on 30th December 2024. The report shows a 7.93% reduction in total GHG emissions in 2020 with respect to 2019. Relationship 1 is correct: The BUR-4 finding of a 7.93% reduction in total GHG emissions in 2020 with respect to 2019 empirically supports and aids the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy described in Statement I. Relationship 2 is correct: Statement III talks about quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets, and that is in contradiction with the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy implicit in Statement I. Relationship 3 is not correct: Climate-resilient development does not necessarily depend on quick and short-term achievement of emission reduction targets, so Statements I and III do not together establish the premise of long-term sustainability. Relationships 1 and 2 are correct, so the answer is Option (b).

    Difficulty: medium · statement

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

  2. UPSC Prelims 2024 · Environment and Ecology · Climate Change

    Consider the following statements: Statement-I: The European Parliament approved The Net-Zero Industry Act recently. Statement-II: The European Union intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and therefore aims to develop all of its own clean technology by that time. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

    1. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
    2. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
    3. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
    4. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Statement I – CORRECT: Recently the European Parliament approved the Net-Zero Industry Act to bolster EU production in technologies needed for decarbonisation. The Act sets a target for Europe to produce 40% of its annual deployment needs in net-zero technologies by 2030 and to capture 15% of the global market value for these technologies. Statement II – INCORRECT: The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 (not 2040) – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Correct answer: Statement I is correct, but Statement II is incorrect → Option (c).

    Difficulty: medium · assertion

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

Practice questions

  1. India's target year for achieving net-zero emissions is:

    1. 2050
    2. 2060
    3. 2070
    4. 2080
    Show answer

    Answer: C. It was announced at COP26 in 2021.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  2. The Green Steel Taxonomy released by India in 2024 classifies steel based on:

    1. Price per tonne
    2. Emissions intensity per tonne
    3. Iron ore grade
    4. Export destination
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Lower emissions earn higher ratings.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  3. "Carbon lock-in" refers to:

    1. Storing carbon underground
    2. Long-lived high-emission assets that keep emitting for decades
    3. A ban on carbon trading
    4. Freezing carbon prices
    Show answer

    Answer: B. It raises the cost of later decarbonisation.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

Mains practice

Answer-writing practice on this article. Attempt it first, then open the hints.

  1. GS3 · 250 words

    "The cheapest emissions to cut are those never locked in." Discuss in the context of India's infrastructure and industrial expansion.

    Show hints
    1. Buildings, grid
    2. steel, cement
    3. lifecycle assessment, CCTS
    4. green procurement, cost of capital
    5. just transition.