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Cement has a carbon problem. Here are some concrete solutions.
Maddie Stone, Grist (Tweet)
The biggest carbon polluters donât always advertise that fact loudly. In fact, one of the industries with the worst climate impact is all but ignored, even though its product literally supports our existence. Iâm talking about the cement industry, which dumps more than 2 billion tons of carbon into the air each year to make its ubiquitous building material, roughly three times as much as the aviation industry.
What accounts for that jaw-dropping carbon footprint? To make cement, you have to heat limestone to nearly 1,500 degrees C. Unfortunately, the most efficient way to get a cement kiln that hot is to burn lots of coal, which, along with other fossil fuel energy sources, accounts for 40 percent of the industryâs emissions. Eventually, the limestone breaks down into calcium oxide (also known as lime) and releases CO2, which goes straight into the atmosphere, accounting for a further 60 percent of the industryâs emissions.
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Southeast Asiaâs Largest Lake Is Under Threat And So Is The Greater Mekong Ecosystem
Michael Sullivan, NPR (Tweet)
Southeast Asia's biggest lake is in serious trouble. Drought, dam building and overfishing have brought the Tonle Sap to a tipping point. And as the lake goes, so goes the greater Mekong ecosystem.
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What if All That Flying Is Good for the Planet?
By Costas Christ, New York Times (Tweet)
The tourism industry depends on air travel, and increasingly, saving nature is directly linked to tourismâs economic clout. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, one in 10 people are employed in the travel and tourism industry, representing more than 10 percent of the global economy. In many countries, nature-based tourism is a top foreign exchange earner.
At the same time, aviation accounts for approximately 2.5 percent of human-induced C0â emissions. By contrast, deforestation, according to some estimates, contributes nearly 20 percent, about as much as all forms of transportation combined. If we want to truly take a clean sweep at reducing global greenhouse gases, then we must stop clear-cutting the worldâs forests.
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