The most sought after building insulation products will not necessarily be the cheapest and most effective, but those manufactured with the lightest carbon footprint
GEOGRAPHIC BARRIERS
Electrification of energy-hungry industrial processes only makes sense in countries with high penetrations of renewable energy in their supply mix. Elsewhere, extraordinary innovation is needed to decarbonise heavy industry and that requires extraordinary investment
LEANING ON GAS
The use of natural gas as a stepping stone to full decarbonisation using biofuels and renewables electricity is a route chosen by some companies, but it is an unsustainable path in the long term
KEY QUOTE
The CO2 embedded in building materials must go down, so that within the next ten years we can see that for every square metre of construction, far less CO2 is emitted than today
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The mining and cement industries contribute over 10% of the world’s CO₂ emissions but demand in both industries remains high. It is, therefore, imperative that decarbonisation efforts should be accelerated, argues Thomas Schulz, CEO of engineering firm FLSmidth
As governments across Europe attempt to deal with the economic and social impacts of coronavirus and how and when to end strict confinement measures, the time is right to invest to ensure every person can live in a healthy, connected and sustainable home, argues Davide Cannarozzi, CEO and Founder of GNE Finance
Politically there is broad support in Denmark for financing the green transition through taxes and a carbon emissions tax proposal has been welcomed by parties across the political spectrum, but industry opposition could ultimately quash the idea
The world’s building stock is forecast to double in size by 2050 to house a global population of 11 billion. If climate neutrality is also to be met by this date, the construction industry will have to significantly slash emissions from the materials it uses
Jan Rosenow of the Regulatory Assistance Project explains how the criteria for energy performance certificates are out of step with heat decarbonisation
The European Green Deal, launched in December 2019, is an ambitious policy proposal that will try to agree a carbon emissions reduction target for Europe of up to 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. Two questions appear: is it possible and how much will it cost. But both could be misleading, says Julian Popov, Fellow at the European Climate Foundation and former Bulgarian Minister of the Environment
An EU taxonomy to define green investments is expected to enter into force in 2021, but some experts want it to be used immediately to inform stimulus packages aimed at dealing with the social and economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic
Two-thirds of countries do not have energy building codes. This needs to change if buildings are to become part of the solution to the climate crisis, argues Jim Edelson, Director of Codes and Policy at New Buildings Institute, a US-based not-for-profit organisation
The European Commission’s plan to increase the emissions reduction target to 55% lacks ambition and would miss out on additional benefits that a higher goal would present, argues WWF’s Imke Lübbeke
Recent Eurelectric analysis reveals the need to reconsider and improve a number of policies and priorities as part of the European Green Deal — the EU Emissions Trading System and an effective carbon pricing for non-ETS require careful consideration, says Petar Georgiev, Eurelectric Policy Advisor climate & e-mobility