With regards to the issue of climate change addressed in IPCC’s recent special report and the Paris Agreement, the World Cement Association (WCA) has published a climate action plan to call upon its members to limit global warming to 2°C through collaborated efforts. The action plan outlines strategies and targets in five key areas to be worked on and more details will be provided at the WCA World Cement Conference held in London in December 2018.
The first area to be improved is the transparency in emission reporting. It is expected that WCA members will be engaged in a ‘Getting the Numbers Right’ database of CO2 and energy information for sharing and reporting their greenhouse gas emission data, thus allowing them to effectively review the carbon footprints of their products.
The second strategy is to optimise the use of cement products in construction by developing and using low-carbon solutions. Members of WCA are asked to adhere to climate-friendly standards and building codes, so as to enhance material efficiency in the constructions of buildings and infrastructure.
The third area is about waste management. WCA intends to set up an internal knowledge exchange platform which allows members from countries around the world to share information such as waste co-processing practices and the relative framework conditions on local and global level.
The fourth improvement is about the development of innovative technology. It is pointed out that there is a technological gap between the current technological level of the cement industry and the technological level required for satisfying the goal of limit global warming to 2°C. Hence, WCA plans to organise regular knowledge dissemination activities, such as the Global Climate Change Forum, so as to gather experts and stakeholders to discuss the technological development in the industry.
The fifth strategy is about the recognition of members’ efforts. WCA finds it important to recognise the innovative practices and business models of its members, thus facilitating the transition to a low-carbon built environment.
It is hoped that the cement industry would be able to make tremendous contribution to carbon neutrality through joint efforts, and the participation of both big companies and small but fast-growing companies are needed.
Source: http://worldcementassociation.org/sustainability/the-wca-climate-action-plan
