India’s First City-Specific Zero Carbon Buildings Action Plan (ZCBAP)

1. In March 2024, Nagpur has become the first city in the country to take a decisive step towards sustainable development by launching the Zero Carbon Buildings Action Plan (ZCBAP).  
2. With this, Nagpur becomes one of the six cities globally to get a Zero Carbon Building Accelerator (ZCBA) project.
3. Nagpur turns out to be one of the 6 cities across the world, including the cities in Turkey and Colombia, where ZCBA project is being implemented.
4. It sets a precedent for the state of Maharashtra, and is also a pioneering effort to boost building sector decarbonisation, contributing to India’s net zero by 2070 target.

About the Action Plan  

1. The Action Plan, released by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI-South Asia), in March 2024.
2. The plan states the goal to make new buildings within Nagpur city Net Zero by 2030, and also convert all existing buildings into Net Zero by 2050.
3. The Action Plan for Nagpur has been developed jointly by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Ltd (NSSCDCL).
   1. It was launched by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in 2021, and was supported by Global Environment Facility (GEF), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), World Green Building Council (WGBC) and other global partners.
4. ICLEI South Asia is the implementing partner for the ZCBA project in Nagpur.

Need for the ZCBAP in Nagpur

1. The launch of ZCBAP in Nagpur is driven by the urgent need to address India’s escalating building-related greenhouse gas emissions.
   1. The roadmap includes actions to help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the context of choice of building materials, and how buildings are designed, built, managed and deconstructed.
2. Between 2000 and 2017, India’s building-related GHG emissions more than doubled, reflecting the rapid growth of urbanization and construction activities.
3. Residential, commercial, and institutional buildings were responsible for 58% of Nagpur’s total energy consumption and for 56% of the city’s GHG emissions in the year 2017-18, according to Nagpur’s Climate Resilient City Action Plan developed by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and others.
4. Brick kilns, which are prevalent in Nagpur and other parts of India, contribute substantially to carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SOx), NOx, and particulate emissions, further underscoring the need for action.

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