The result is not just hot weather; the decarbonization of the industry is crucial to a sustainable future The last five years have been the warmest through the records. At the current rate, the world will be about three degrees warmer by the end of the present century. However, the world should take action earlier before it gets too late. However, what Canada will do now is to determine the fate of ecologies, economies, and people. If Canadian administrators can limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius in the next 30 years, we can avert the worst effects of the current climate change.

Ahead horizons

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world must reduce its carbon emissions by at least 49% of 2017, making levels carbon-neutral by 2050 to meet the targets set by the UN-administered Paris Agreement. As of 2019, more than 75 countries have committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The United Kingdom, France, Sweden, and Norway are leading the way in legislation. Others are showing positive signs, such as America's CLEAN Future Act, which sets industry-specific and economy-wide solutions to achieve a 100% clean economy by 2050. Reduced carbon steel and cement may have different properties that require changes in building codes. Renovations and upgrades are expensive, and production costs are even higher. McKinsey estimates that the decarbonization of cement, steel, ammonia, and concrete will cost between US$11 trillion and US$21 trillion by 2050.

How close is the world to reach the first target?

The energy, construction, and transportation sectors are all making good progress in reducing emissions, but the industry is lagging. Industry emits about 28% of greenhouse gases (GHG), 90% of which is CO2. These emissions increased by 69% between 1990 and 2014, compared to a 23% increase for construction, energy, and transportation. Having an alternative to cheap fuel is a complicated and costly process which has a noble role.

Responsible for decarbonization

Ammonia, cement, ethylene, and steel production account for almost half of the industrial emissions. Other high-emission sectors include food, tobacco, paper, printing, and non-ferrous metals. The construction industry is becoming the largest source of "consumption emissions" in the world's largest cities, accounting for almost a quarter of all emissions from now to 2050.

What should the world do?

The global industry must launch the decarbonization process by reducing and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), throughout the supply chain. The International Energy Agency (IEA) emphasizes the importance of quick action to avoid 'locked carbon emissions due to the industry's long investment cycles. Therefore, industry, energy, and government must act now to align innovation, incentives, and investment to support a carbon-neutral future for the sector. Canada must now be ready for key actions to achieve so-called 'deep decarbonization' in the long term, which can be painful, expensive, and disruptive to the current economic and social models. Heavy industry emits a huge amount of CO2 which is highly dependent on raw materials to produce very high temperatures and fossil fuels for combustion. This means that both fuels and processes need to be replaced. Heavy industry will need to design furnaces that operate between 700 and 1,600 degrees Celsius with zero carbon electricity. Because industrial processes are highly integrated, a change to the system will affect other processes and even the final product.