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Expansion of national highways (NHs) and construction of greenfield expressways in the past nine years have the potential to avoid over 32 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission annually, a study by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has estimated. The assessment has been done, taking into account both the construction period and operation phase of the NHs and expressways. The report comes as a breather for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the highway ministry at a time when these agencies are facing flak for felling of trees for laying new roads and widening of the existing ones. The estimated avoidance of the CO2 emission has been arrived at considering different factors, including how the new and improved NHs, replacing congested and often circuitous routes, can considerably reduce fuel consumption. The report titled “Assessment of Avoided CO2 Emissions during Construction and Operation of National Highways”, which was released by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, said the year-on-year length of NHs constructed since 2014 stands at 77,265 km.