Canada and the United Arab Emirates launched the Cement & Concrete Breakthrough initiative at COP28 in Dubai. The initiative reaffirms Canada’s commitment to working with countries, businesses and international partner organizations to accelerate investments in the technologies, tools and policies that the industry needs to realize net-zero solutions by 2050.
“We support and welcome the launch of the cement breakthrough initiative. Cement and concrete are essential for so much of our modern world and will also be needed for meeting the challenges ahead,” said Thomas Guillot, chief executive of the Global Cement and Concrete Association. “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.”
The Cement & Concrete Breakthrough initiative will enable countries to share best practices on a range of policies and other measures to decarbonize the cement and concrete sector. It will engage a variety of partners at the global level, providing an opportunity for Canada to drive the adoption of low-carbon cement products and solutions that build on the global recognition of Canada’s Roadmap to Net-Zero Carbon Concrete by 2050.
Canada and the UAE, along with the inaugural cohort of endorsing countries, will pursue three pillars of work in 2024:
- Agree with partner countries on priority actions to measurably advance decarbonization in the cement and concrete sector.
- Convene thematic dialogues to share best practices in the sector with the involvement of developed and emerging economies.
- Facilitate the leadership of governmental, private sector and non-governmental partners in achieving the overarching goal of the initiative.
