Emergy Evaluation of Ecological and Economic Implications in Resource Extraction for Construction Activities in Kerala, India During the Period 2009-2023

The absence of a unified metric that links the temporal dynamics of natural resource extraction with sustainability indicators is a major limitation in environmental assessment of resource use pattern. This study investigates the application of emergy based environmental accounting to assess the ecological and economic implications of resource use for the construction activities carried out in south Indian state Kerala for the period from 2009 to 2023. Temporal variations in ecosystem services were estimated based on extraction patterns of sand, clay, limestone, and iron ore, in relation with the trends in material cost escalation over this period. The findings reveal that unregulated sourcing of natural resources leads to sharp increases in emergy procurement costs, deepening ecological deficits and expanding environmental footprints. By integrating all emergy components related to the extracted materials like ecosystem services, economic value and environmental load, the emergy accounting framework would be able to capture the full spectrum of resource impacts. The study establishes comprehensive emergy accounting as an essential tool for ensuring environmentally sound resource use in the construction sector.