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Why cement is climate's hardest challenge

Why cement is climate's hardest challenge
Source: interestingengineering
Author: @IntEngineering
Published: 8/27/2025

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The article highlights cement as one of the most significant climate challenges, responsible for about 8% of global CO₂ emissions—more than aviation and shipping combined. In 2022, the cement industry emitted roughly 1.6 billion tonnes of CO₂, with production at 4.1 billion tonnes annually and rising due to urbanization. China alone produces about half of the world’s cement, underscoring the scale of the problem. A key difficulty in reducing emissions lies in the chemical process of cement production: about 60% of CO₂ emissions come from the decomposition of limestone into clinker, not just from fuel combustion, meaning renewable energy alone cannot solve the issue. Despite efficiency gains since 1990, emissions could nearly double by 2050 without transformative changes. Engineers are pursuing multiple strategies to lower cement’s carbon footprint, particularly by reducing clinker content through blending alternative materials, often industrial byproducts. Ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), a steelmaking

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materialscementcarbon-emissionssustainable-constructionindustrial-byproductsCO2-reductionclimate-solutions