Climate change has become one of the biggest concerns for scientists and engineers during this anthropocentric era. One of the major causes of these alterations in climate are the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and among them, carbon dioxide is on the lead. In the human sources of CO2 emissions, construction is one of the principal sources, which is a carbon-intensive sector mainly because of the use of concrete and is growing globally at a rapid rate. The main material used for construction purposes is concrete, the third most used substance in the world after air and water. Billions of tons of natural materials are mixed and processed to make concrete, leaving a substantial mark on the environment. Concrete is attractive in resilience and durability because of the special properties of cement. The production of cement is accounted for 5% of the manmade emissions on a global level, releasing 600-700 kg of CO2 per each ton of cement. There is a dire need to make the concrete sustainable. Since the last few decades, researchers have been striving to find a solution for lessening the environmental impacts of concrete and cement. Different paths have been developed to address and mitigate these issues. There is no single way to achieve a sustainable concrete instead each and every possible measure must be explored and taken, if found feasible. Cement replacement with some other low carbon material has been the focus of research for the last two decades. While a long journey is yet to be covered, it is necessary to review and analyze where the research stands and how much progress has been made. The current study is intended to answer these questions by giving a review of the available literature. Moreover, as any variation in the composition of concrete will definitely change its engineering properties, one of the objectives of the study is to look at the merits and demerits of all the alternatives examined for low carbon concrete. Finally, the study will make an attempt to identify research gaps in the subject of low carbon concrete.