Canada and UAE head up new initiative to cut cement and concrete’s carbon emissions

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Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have jointly launched the new Cement & Concrete Breakthrough initiative at COP28 in Dubai.

They will co-lead the initiative, which enables countries to share best practice on policies and other measures to decarbonise their cement and concrete sectors.

It comes after the launch at Cop26 in 2022 of the Breakthrough Agenda, which provides a framework for initiatives that enable countries to accelerate decarbonisation actions, beginning in five key sectors: power; road transport; steel; hydrogen and agriculture.

Now, at COP28, two additional initiatives – buildings, and cement and concrete – have been added, extending the Breakthrough Agenda to sectors responsible for 60% of global emissions.

François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, and Omar Ahmed Suwaina Al Suwaidi, undersecretary of the ministry of industry and advanced technology in the UAE jointly announced the launch at COP28 today (6 December).

Champagne said, “”Innovation and investments in clean technology are crucial to building a competitive green economy.

“As a global leader in research and innovation, Canada is a key player in the net-zero carbon economy and is committed to laying the foundation of a competitive green cement and concrete industry that will create green jobs and build a clean future for all Canadians and the world. With the breakthrough initiative, we will help pave the way to achieve net-zero carbon cement and concrete by 2050.”

Thomas Guillot, chief executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA), added, “Our member companies, which operate all around the world, are fully committed to a net zero future—and it will take the combined efforts of industry and government to deliver on this commitment. This is the decade to deliver, and we are delighted to work with the cement breakthrough initiative and the Government of Canada to accelerate the transition.”