California’s Cement Industry Is A Leader in Carbon Emissions Reduction

There has been a lot of false information perpetuated about the cement industry, particularly around the issue of sustainability. In a recent Los Angeles Times opinion piece, inaccurate and misleading statements were asserted regarding the California cement industry. The misleading information was likely pulled from a paper published in 2019, you can see our initial rebuttal here.

“Portland-Limestone Cement (PLC), used here at the University of California San Diego, has the potential to eliminate almost 10 million metric tons in greenhouse gas by 2030 by allowing for inter-ground limestone to be added to the final product at cement plants.”

Here are the facts. The California cement industry has reduced its emissions footprint while China’s emissions have skyrocketed. A report from Global Carbon Project anticipated that cement production emissions would rise by 6.3% in China from 2018 to 2019[1]. Between 2000 and 2015, California’s cement industry carbon emissions declined by 20% and California’s cement industry now ranks 3rd worldwide in carbon efficiency after Austria and Germany, who use an abundance of alternative fuels which are limited or simply not permitted in California. Much of the GHG emissions (carbon dioxide) from the cement industry is produced during the chemical reaction of the limestone, silica and iron, during calcination. These GHG emissions are referred to as process emissions. Therefore, in order to decrease GHG emissions during fuel combustion further, the industry is developing ways to use lower carbon fuels. Locally-produced cement is the most environmentally responsible option for meeting California’s needs for durable and resilient infrastructure. If California’s highly regulated and monitored facilities do not provide the cleaner cement, it will be imported from less regulated facilities outside of the state.

With all the improvements the California cement industry has made, we know there’s still much work to be done. The cement industry is committed to decreasing its carbon footprint and ultimately, reaching carbon neutrality. Policymakers, architects and engineers have real opportunities to create further GHG savings throughout the cement-concrete supply chain. The largest opportunity is to encourage widespread use of Portland-Limestone Cement (PLC). PLC has the potential to eliminate almost 10 million metric tons in greenhouse gas by 2030 by allowing for inter-ground limestone to be added to the final product at cement plants.

The industry is continually exploring innovative ways to reduce the its carbon footprint by removing regulatory barriers to achieve lower emissions and pave the way for carbon neutrality. However, an honest conversation about how the industry can continue to contribute to California’s climate change goals cannot be based on sensational claims, and intentionally misleading analysis. Rather, it must be rooted in a complete, accurate, and even-handed accounting of the facts, as well as full consideration of the industry’s unique circumstances.

[1] Hausfather, Z. (2019, April 12). Analysis: Global fossil-fuel emissions up 0.6% in 2019 due to China. Carbon Brief. Retrieved from https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-global-fossil-fuel-emissions-up-zero-point-six-per-cent-in-2019-due-to-china