Aiming even higher

This week has seen a number of announcements by world leaders to cut emissions and combat climate change. President Joe Biden announced a 50% reduction in US greenhouse gases by 2030, doubling its commitment to the 2015 Paris agreement. The UK government set a target of cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, while Canada announced a target to reduce its emissions by 40-45% by 2030.

Japan also set steeper reductions targets – aiming for a 46% reduction by 2030 from 2013 – while South Korea is set to unveil a new target.

It is good news for the world to see so many countries accelerating their climate commitments. Nonetheless, I do hope that more countries will follow suit in the weeks to come and set new targets. We need all the largest countries onboard to make a meaningful impact on our climate and avert a climate catastrophe.

Tackling climate change will require a global effort – not just governments but business and industry as well – to come together and ensure the right policies as well as industrial and societal levers are in place. The cement and concrete industry is firmly behind our world leaders’ commitments to these targets and we welcome collaboration with policy makers as we develop our own roadmap to producing carbon neutral concrete by 2050.

I am optimistic that we will achieve our sustainability targets, and with everyone on board we can make a meaningful impact on our world.