The decarbonisation of heavy industry is vital for meeting international climate targets and transitioning to a clean energy economy. Steel and cement each account for over a quarter of the world’s industrial greenhouse gas emissions, with chemicals and petrochemicals in third place, contributing 13% of total emissions. These industries are slowly waking up to the energy transition, but decarbonisation is a significant challenge for them and one they cannot meet alone. Significant public support and considerable amounts of clean energy will be required.
FORESIGHT Editor in Chief Philippa Nuttall Jones speaks to Matilda Axelson from the Institute for European Studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel about how policy makers in Europe can create an industrial strategy that supports heavy industry’s clean energy transition and ensures it remains competitive globally.
For more on this topic, read Matilda Axelson’s opinion piece for FORESIGHT on how the sector cannot, and should not, manage its clean energy transition alone.
Read FORESIGHT’s stories on decarbonising heavy industry