"Why Cement Is So Hard to Decarbonize — And Why Climatetech Should Care" Article Reflection No. 159 (10/31/2025)

Article: “Why Cement Is So Hard to Decarbonize — And Why Climatetech Should Care”

In the article “Why Cement Is So Hard to Decarbonize — And Why Climatetech Should Care,” the journalist Phil De Luna describes the large amount of carbon emitted from cement production and discusses the complex nature of decarbonization. Specifically, the process of producing concrete involves calcination, which includes heating around 1,400 degrees Celsius. The EU Emissions Trading System aims to incentivize decarbonization with the increasing carbon prices that industries need to pay for. This pressure also comes from investors as well. The article then describes ways to reduce carbon emissions from cement production, from using alternate binders to applying rock chemistry. The difficulty in using the advanced technologies comes largely from assets that are already established, along with the general opposition to materials that are not tested, according to Luna. 

With the complex nature of cement production, no wonder how it takes so long to go from one step to the next. I feel like there would be a lot of disagreement on whether to take one step over another. I understand how these obstacles such as already-existing assets make it very difficult to take extensive steps, especially over a shorter amount of time. How can we streamline in this decarbonization process?