The Digester

Cities must cut construction emissions by over 90% to meet 2°C goal

Mar 20th 2026

A new analysis of 1,033 cities shows construction contributes 10 to 20 percent of global emissions and must fall sharply in the next two to four decades, requiring changes in building design, materials and housing choices to keep warming below 2°C.

  • Construction produces 10 to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
  • To stay below 2°C, cities will need to cut construction and infrastructure emissions by more than 90 percent over the next two to four decades.
  • Researchers combined the EXIOBASE product-impact model with urban data to estimate current construction emissions and future budgets for 1,033 cities.
  • Meeting housing demand with single-family homes risks blowing city construction budgets while multi-unit housing is far more efficient.
  • Lower-carbon materials such as wood or recycled concrete can help but better design and reduced wasted space deliver larger emission reductions.
  • Cities have strong policy control over construction but many lack resources to set emissions budgets, and cutting new oil and gas infrastructure could free capacity to build low-emission housing.

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