For the first time, a deal has been agreed at COP28, the UN climate summit, which agrees to countries moving away from the use of fossil fuels. The agreement was reached after days of negotiations in Dubai, UAE. The text recognises the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions if humanity is to limit temperature rises to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels.
Welcoming the agreement, Thomas Guillot, CEO of the Global Cement and Concrete Association, said, “We welcome the progress made at COP28. Decarbonising global industries such as ours will take the collective effort of governments and industry, finance and policymakers, scientists and civil society, all working together. On behalf of our industry and alongside our members who represent the majority of cement production globally, we participated in the preparation and launch of a number of key initiatives that will help enable the shift to net zero – including, the Industrial Transition Accelerator, Cement Breakthrough, and Carbon Management Challenge.
“The cement and concrete industry provides essential material for the whole world, enabling resilient and sustainable infrastructure and housing for the needs of people and the planet. We are fully committed to decarbonising our sector and have a detailed net zero commitment and pathway which we are already working towards, including the substitution of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energy and the deployment of new technologies such as CCUS.”
