Concrete is everywhere, from the sidewalks we walk on to the skyscrapers towering over us in cities. This building material is a vital component of infrastructure around the globe, and as such, we use massive quantities of concrete, making it the most consumed man-made material on Earth. As the world continues to urbanize, the use of this building material will only continue to grow – and so will its environmental impact.
Concrete is the product of cement, water, and aggregate. Cement acts as the binder that ties together the components of concrete, making it an essential part of the mixture. However, the carbon footprint of cement is immense, with a 2018 Chatham House report estimating that about 8% of carbon dioxide emissions globally can be attributed to the over 4.1 billion tons of cement produced annually. In fact, if the cement industry was a country, it would take third place for most carbon dioxide emissions, behind only China and the United States.
With the threat of climate change looming over us, it is apparent that widespread and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are needed globally, and as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, the cement industry needs to act to reduce its emissions. Luckily, hopeful routes are developing that can decarbonize this industry. Intellectual capital that can be utilized to mitigate climate change and that applies to the cement/concrete supply chain is being produced at universities across the United States. Climate change urgency has also permeated the minds – and pocketbooks – of industry stakeholders and members of the financial community. Government policies and worldwide initiatives are also contributing to the tidal wave of efforts being made to mitigate climate change. These factors demonstrate that there has never been a better time than the present to accelerate climate change mitigation solutions. However, while needed stakeholders are aligned for climate change mitigation, the current slow processes used to connect them are reducing their ability to produce solutions with speed.
The urgency required to address climate change to prevent and delay its worst effects necessitates connections between the professors, researchers, and students producing innovative climate change projects and willing investors that can fund these innovations. However, the current methods of sifting through university websites for climate change-specific projects and internet search results for funding applicable to niche research are onerous. Additionally, increased collaboration between academic disciplines is necessary to produce effective climate change solutions. A central platform that creates connections between these groups is desperately needed, and Pure Green Cement, L3C will fulfill this role.
Pure Green Cement, L3C (PGC, L3C) will bridge intellectual and financial capital to protect our natural capital. While climate change is an expansive issue that has several causes and effects to address, we believe that climate change mitigation would benefit from focused approaches on individual sectors. Due to the cement industry’s contributions to climate change, PGC, L3C is focused on greenhouse gas emission abatement in the cement / concrete supply chain. By providing a comprehensive industry-specific platform, we aim to accelerate connections between those working on relevant research and those looking to fund it. We cannot afford to delay climate change solutions any longer, and PGC, L3C will play a role in breaking barriers that prevent the pace of innovative solution development from matching the urgency of climate change, cementing a greener future.