Editorial comment
COP28 will be taking place in Dubai at the end of this month and into December. For the uninitiated, COP stands for: The Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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Drawing together national leaders, along with political and industry figures from all 198 ‘parties’ to the UNFCCC (197 countries plus the EU), the COP events serve as a formal meeting place for nations to “negotiate and agree on how to tackle climate change, limit emissions and halt global warming.” And whilst one might understandably raise an eyebrow at the thought of the vast numbers of attendees burning jet fuel to travel across the world to discuss climate change (70 000 predicted for this year’s event), there remains no better alternative than meeting face-to-face when it comes to getting the world’s leaders to collaborate on major issues, including climate change. Case in point: it was at COP21 in 2016 that the landmark ‘Paris Agreement’ was adopted as a legally binding treaty by 196 parties, enshrining in law the goal of keeping the global average temperature increase below 2°C, and ideally limiting it to just 1.5°C.
And principles of the Paris Agreement will echo in this year’s event too; one of the key aspects of COP28 is that it will hold the first ‘Global Stocktake’ or GST. The GST is aimed at providing “a comprehensive assessment of progress since adopting the Paris Agreement [which will] help align the efforts on climate action, including measures that need to be put in place to bridge the gaps in progress.” Indeed, as this year’s COP President, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber points out: “To remain on target [with the Paris Agreement], science tells us that emissions must be halved by 2030. We only have another seven years to meet that goal.”
Seven years might seem a long time, but when considering the vast changes required to the way societies and industries operate, it presents a steep challenge. The time to act is now. The good news is that progress is already being made both by government and industry – as I mentioned in my Comment last month, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency mentioned that the chances of keeping 1.5 alive had improved after the “staggering” growth in renewable energy developments and green investment over the past two years.
The cement industry, itself responsible for 6 – 8% of all manmade CO2 emissions, has a major role to play in helping the world tackle the issue of climate change. And that’s why it’s also reassuring to see the progress being made. Cement producers across the world, ranging from globe-spanning multinationals to one-plant independents, are making strides towards decarbonising the industry. To meet leaders and experts from these companies and find out how to decarbonise your own operations, be sure to join us on 10 – 13 March, 2024 in Lisbon, for World Cement’s first in-person conference and exhibition: EnviroTech.
EnviroTech will include a 2.5 day presentation agenda, featuring industry leaders, technical experts, panel discussions, networking events, and a full exhibition – all designed to promote knowledge building and provide attendees with actionable insights for their own businesses.
To find out more about EnviroTech and to register, simply head over to:
www.worldcement.com/envirotech2024/
Register today to save yourself €250 on delegate tickets!
