Editorial comment
As another year draws to a close, the world draws inexorably closer to those looming emissions targets of 2030 and 2050. It’s good timing then that the world’s two largest polluters, the United States and China, have agreed to rekindle a joint effort to reduce their emissions output and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
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Providing much-needed momentum prior to the COP-28 conference taking place in early December, the agreement has been hailed as a breakthrough. After all, with the US and China being responsible for a combined 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, their cooperation will be key to the success of any global agreement on climate change.
The joint statement goes so far as to declare that both the US and China are ‘alarmed by the best available scientific findings’ relating to the impact of climate change, and highlights a number of areas that the two nations will focus on. These include: pursuing efforts to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030, accelerate the replacement of fossil-fuel power generation, halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, and cooperate on measures to reduce emissions of non-CO2 GHGs (such as methane which is 80 times more potent than CO2).
The agreement isn’t perfect, of course; and both sides think the other should be doing more, but a compromised agreement is better than none at all. Particularly as the joint statement has re-established a vital dialogue after a particularly frosty era of US-China relations.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate of COP28, commented on the joint statement: "I welcome and congratulate the US and China on this significant announcement, which responds to the global community’s repeated calls for action [...] The world needs good news, and expectations remain high. We must restore trust in multilateralism. [This] announcement demonstrates that, when we work towards a greater good, we can deliver historic, meaningful, high-ambition outcomes."
Overall, then, it sounds positive. It is just to be hoped that the shared economic and environmental benefits to be gained from collaboration weigh more heavily in the minds of American and Chinese leaders than their disagreements over issues such as Taiwan and Ukraine.
Of course, the other thing about 2023 drawing to a close is that it means that our first in-person conference and exhibition, EnviroTech, is now just a few months away!
Join us in Lisbon on 10 – 13 March for a 2.5 day expert-led presentation agenda focused on the decarbonisation of the cement industry. In addition to the opportunity to network and share actionable business insights with industry peers, EnviroTech will also feature a full exhibition, multiple networking events, Q&A sessions, an extended panel discussion with industry leaders, plus an optional visit to Secil’s Outão plant.
Space is limited so register today and secure your place: www.worldcement.com/envirotech2024
