As organizations addressing climate change around the world, we urge the Climate Bond Initiative to adopt a new approach to climate bonds for cement kilns. Rather than promoting waste burning and other ineffective adaptations that will fail to reduce the tremendous climate footprint of the cement industry, we ask Climate Bond Initiative to use its clout to develop standards for innovative, toxic-free, low-carbon construction materials and approaches as an alternative to cement.
Disappointingly, the Climate Bond Initiative (CBI) has proposed climate financing criteria for the cement industry that encourages municipal waste, including plastic, to be burned in cement kilns as an alternative fuel. However, a substitution of fuels will not solve the threat that the cement industry poses: at least half of the cement industry’s greenhouse gas emissions are released from limestone as it is heated to form the glue that holds concrete together.[1] Tinkering around the edges, like burning municipal waste as fuel, will simply not achieve the GHG reductions needed for this sector.
The climate impacts from cement production are staggering: 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide is from cement production.[2] As described in the new IPCC report, “Cement and concrete are currently overused because they are inexpensive, durable, and ubiquitous, and consumption decisions typically do not give weight to their production emissions.”[3] At the same time, the new IPCC report has given dire warnings that “the human toll of climate change is unequivocal and growing”. To be serious about reducing the greenhouse gas footprint from the cement industry, we must urgently explore all available low-carbon construction alternatives for cement. Otherwise, cement will continue to be one of the largest industrial greenhouse gas contributors.
However, the approach of certifying waste burning (especially plastic waste) in cement kilns will only deviate the building sector from the critical transformation to low-carbon building material:
- Widespread burning of waste in cement kilns would replace one form of fossil fuel with another. Plastic is a key component of the waste stream that the cement industry seeks to burn, and 99% of plastic is made from fossil fuels. The carbon footprint of plastic from extraction, production, and burning of plastic waste is essential to consider: “By 2050, the greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could reach over 56 gigatons—10-13 percent of the entire remaining carbon budget.”[4] Furthermore, just as coal which has to be mined and transported to the kiln, the energy used to produce and process waste is tremendous.
- Widespread burning of waste in cement kilns would create a “lock-in effect” for waste generation itself, thus affecting global waste reduction targets and deep decarbonization targets. The cement industry’s reliance on waste-burning as a business model will create a consistent demand for waste and therefore lock in a wasteful economy (and the climate footprint that comes with it. Widespread use of waste to fire cement kilns would perpetuate plastic production and resulting climate pollution. Furthermore, sourcing waste is an unfair business model for governments. While the economics vary, governments would likely need to provide subsidies or payments for producing or using waste-derived fuels.
- Burning waste creates toxic pollution with the most severe impacts to the public health and environment of vulnerable communities, in a clear exacerbation of climate injustice. From communities in Cameroon,[5] India,[6] Brazil,[7] Slovenia,[8] and Mexico,[9] to Australian plastic waste exports bound for burning in Indonesia,[10] communities around the world have documented extensive pollution threats from waste burning in cement kilns. Cement plants do not have the means to filter volatile heavy metals (mercury, thallium, cadmium, etc.) present in waste, nor persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins and furans (PCDD/PCDF), which are toxic and persistent in the environment, traveling long distances and accumulating in the food chain.
It is for all these reasons that we urge the Climate Bond Initiative to adopt a new approach to the cement industry. Wholesale movement into low carbon building materials is a crucial path to ending the cement industry’s disastrous climate-forcing carbon footprint.
Signed:
Organizations:
12 Pueblos Originarios de Tecámac
350 Pilipinas
Abibinsroma Foundation
Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Aliansi Zero Waste Indonesia
All India Kabadi Mazdoor Mahasangh (AIKMM)
All Our Energy
Alliance for Zero Waste Indonesia
Amigos de la Tierra
Animals Are Sentient Beings Inc
Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA)
ASD-Bangladesh
Association Nigérienne des Scouts de l’Environnement (ANSEN)
Bali Waste Platform
Ban SUP
BAN Toxics
Barranquilla+20
Bay Area – System Change not Climate Change
Beyond Extreme Energy
Beyond Plastics
Bio Vision Africa (BiVA)
BIOS
Blue Dalian
Bye Bye Plastic Bags
Californians Against Waste
CAMINANDO POR LA JUSTICIA ATITALAQUÍA
Caminando por la justicia Atitalaquia
Carbon Market Watch
Censat Agua Viva – Amigos de la Tierra Colombia
Centre de Recherche et d’Education pour le Développement
Changing Markets Foundation
Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group (CAG)
Citizens’ Environmental Coalition
Clean Air Action Network of Glens Falls
Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena-Coeymans
CleanAirNow
Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL)
Colectivo Ecologista Jalisco, A.C.
Colectivo Región Tolteca
Colectivo VientoSur
Colectivo Voces Ecológicas COVEC
COMITE PRO UNO
Consumers’ Association of Penang
CUMA MEXICO
Deer Park Institute
Dibeen for Environmental Development
Dovesdale Action Group
Downwinders at Risk
Earth Ethics, Inc
Eco Sitio
Ecology Center
ECORE
ECOTON
Ecowaste Coalition of the Philippines
Eko krog
Ekologi brez meja
Environics Trust
Environment and Social Development Organization
Environmental Defence Canada
Environmental Education Center (PPLH Bali)
Environmental Protection Society Malaysia
Extinction Rebellion San Francisco Bay Area
Florida Rising
Food Empowerment Project
Frente de Comunidades Unidas de Tizayuca
FreshWater Accountability Project
Friends of the Earth U.S.
Friends Of The Earth Slovakia
fundacion Aguaclara
Fundación Apaztle
Fundación El Árbol
fundación Lenga
Fundación para la defensa del ambiente (FUNAM)
GAIA/BFFP
Gallifrey Foundation
Gita Pertiwi
Grassroots Environmental Education
GREEN AFRICA YOUTH ORGANIZATION
Green Knowledge Foundation
Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
Greenpeace USA
GreenRoots, Inc
Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart
Grupo Atotonilli
Health Care Without Harm
Health Care Without Harm Southeast Asia
Health Environment and Climate Action Foundation (HECAF360)
HECAF 360
Humusz Szövetség
Indonesian Center for Environmental Law
Inland Ocean Coalition
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
Instituto ATEMIS Brasil
Instituto Pólis
International Rivers
Kagad Kach Parta Kashtakari Panchayat
Khanchendzonga Conservation Committee KCC
Korea Zero Waste Movement Network
KRuHA – people’s coalition for the right to water
LIDECS
Living Laudato Si’ Philippines
Locust Point Community Garden
Long Island Progressive Coalition
M H K Electrical
Mcag
Methane Action
Midlothian Breathe
Montana Environmental Information Center
Mother Earth Foundation Philippines
MoveOn.org Hoboken
Nagrik Chetna Manch
Nexus3 Foundation
NGO Forum on ADB
Noarc21
North american Climate, Conservation and Environment(NACCE)
North Range Concerned Citizens
Núcleo Alter-Nativas de Produção da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE)
Pelican foundation
Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Plataforma antiincineracion de Montcada I Reixac
Pragya Seeds Nepal
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
PROSALUD APAXCO
RAPAL Uruguay
Red de Acción por los Derechos Ambientales RADA
Red Regional de Sistemas Comunitarios y Comités por la Defensa del Agua ( la Escuelita del Agua) .
Réseau Action Climat
Revista Brújula MX
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia)
Sahabat Laut (Friends of the Sea)
Sistema de Agua Potable de Tecámac Estado de México, AC?
Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York
Society for Wetland Biodiversity Conservation Nepal
Solar Wind Works
South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
Stree Mukti Sanghatana
Sunflower Alliance
Surfrider Foundation
Sustainable Environment Development Initiative
Sustainable Thornton Heath
SWaCH
Taller Ecologista
Terra Advocati
The Corner House
The Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement – Gerakan Indonesia Diet Kantong Plastik
The Last Beach Cleanup
The Last Plastic Straw
The People’s Justice Council
Trash Hero Indonesia
Turtle Island Restoration Network
United Kingdom Without Incineration Network (UKWIN)
Valley Watch, Inc.
VšĮ “Žiedinė ekonomika”
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) / Friends of the Earth Indonesia
WALHI Jawa Barat
WALHI North Sumatra
Waterway Advocates
West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs
Westchester Allliance for Sustainable Solutions
Woman And Child Development Organization (APARAJITA)
WomanHealth Philippines
Work on Waste USA (AEHSP)
Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB)
Za Zemiata – Friends of the Earth Bulgaria
ZERO – Associação Sistema Terrestre Sustentável
Zero Waste Association of South Africa
Zero Waste Europe
Zero Waste France
Zero Waste Ithaca
Zero Waste Latvija
Zero Waste Montenegro
Zero Waste North West
Zero Waste USA
Zero Waste Washington
Individuals:
Alida Naufalia, YPBB
Ann Fahey
Babet de Groot, University of Sydney
Carole Shorney
Chitra Agarwal
Christine Primomo, Clean Air Coalition of Greater Ravena Coeymans
Claudia Marquez
Colin Vettier
Consuelo Infante
Desmond Alugnoa, Green Africa Youth Organization
Dr. Katie Conlon
Edward Swayze, TC Democratic Committee, Zero Waste Ithaca
Héctor Cordero
Ian Morris, Sustainable Thornton Heath
Jane Leggett, Stop the Edmonton Incinerator
Jean Ross, Vote Climate
John alder, build back better
Jorge Daniel Hernandez
José Arquimidez Aguilar Rodríguez
Karl Held, The Climate Mobilization, Montgomery County MD Chapter
Laura Haider, Fresnans Against Fracking
Lauriane Veillard, Zero Waste Europe
Lisa Ross, Zero Waste Columbia
Louise Krzan
Maeve Tomlinson
Maeve Tomlinson
Mai The Toan, Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment
Marco Ramirez navarro
María Merced González
Marie Hallwirth, Zero Waste Austria
Maritza mendoza, GreenLatinos
Mark Webb
Martin Franklin
Melly Amalia, Yaksa Pelestari Bumi Berkelanjutan (YPBB)
Moniva Rosas
Navin Rao, Birla Institute of Management Technology
Parus Shah
Patrice Gallagher, Frederick Zero Waste Alliance
Paty Gonzalez
Prashant Vaze , Senior Fellow of Climate Bonds Initiative
Prerana Dangol, HECAF 360
Pushpan Murugiah
René Romero
Riikka Yliluoma, Climate Strategies Lab
Rosi Martínez
Sangeetha Pradeep, Thanal
Sher Zaman, Democratic Commission for Human Development
Shrawasti Karmacharya, HECAF360
Shyamala Mani, Public Health Foundation of India and National Institute of Urba
Sikshu Dewan Sikshu ESPAY
Sister Joan Agro, Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, New York
Sophia Mahoney-Rohrl, Sunrise Bay Area
Souleymane OUATTARA, Climate Action Network West and Central Africa
STEPHANIE SUSSMAN, Zero Waste Columbia
Susan Park, University of Sydney
Suzannah Glidden, Stop the Algonquin Pipeline Expansion (SAPE)
Sydney Charles
Xuan Quach, Vietnam Zero Waste Alliance
~ENDNOTES~
[1] NRDC (2022), Cut Carbon and Toxic Pollution, Make Cement Clean and Green, https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sasha-stashwick/cut-carbon-and-toxic-pollution-make-cement-clean-and-green
[2] BBC (2018), Climate change: The massive CO2 emitter you may not know about, https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46455844
[3] IPCC (2022), Sixth Assessment Report, Chapter 11 – Industry, p 7, https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg3/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter11.pdf
[4] CIEL (2019), Plastic and Climate, p 1, www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Plastic-and-Climate-Executive-Summary-2019.pdf
[5] Greenpeace Switzerland (2010), HolcimReport: A scandal research, https://www.greenpeace.ch/static/planet4-switzerland-stateless/2020/11/306f5644-lafargeholcimreport-gp_execsummaryen_greenpeace_4nov2020.pdf
[6] Greenpeace Switzerland (2010)
[7] Greenpeace Switzerland (2010)
[8] Goldman Prize (2017), 2017 Goldman Prize Winner Uroš Macerl, www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/uros-macerl/
[9] Zero Waste Europe (2017), In Mexico: time to end ‘sacrifice zones,’ zerowasteeurope.eu/2017/12/in-mexico-time-to-end-sacrifice-zones/
[10] Nexus3 and IPEN (2022), Refuse-Derived Fuel In Indonesia, ipen.org/documents/refuse-derived-fuel-indonesia