- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
There were interesting discussions at two of the cement industry conferences that I’ve recently attended, the Global FutureCem Conference on CO2 reduction strategies for the cement and concrete industries, and the Intercem event in Istanbul, its 100th edition. Industry experts were asked at both events if there was any prospect of there being a global emissions trading scheme (a ‘GETS’). One expert said “It’s a fairy tale - it will never happen.” Another said, “Yes, it’s inevitable. It will happen within five years.” The likely outcome probably lies somewhere between the two. But why might it come into being and what would such a scheme look like?
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I’ve just returned from taking part in the 2nd Irish Sailing and Mountaineering Adventure Challenge (ISAMAC), a sailing race from Kinsale to Dingle which also includes scaling three mighty mountains.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
At the recent IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference in St Louis I gave a presentation on my best guess for what the cement industry will look like in 2050 (see also www.Cement2050.com). In the presentation, I quoted Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and Francois Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Banque de France, who in mid-April 2019 jointly said the following: “A massive reallocation of capital is necessary to prevent global warming above the 2°C maximum target… If some companies and industries fail to adjust to this new world, they will fail to exist.” When they said that, I felt that they could have been speaking directly to the global cement industry.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I’ve recently enjoyed a short holiday with my wife, younger daughter and two elderly parents in Sardinia. One evening, after some Sardinian wine, beer and local myrtle liqueur, I wandered out in the chill night to catch some fresh air before bed. I looked out over the night-time hills and valleys and was rapt with the sound of frogs croaking, down the hill in the damp stream. They would go silent for a while, and then one would start up again. Then all the other frogs would join in, and an amphibian cacophony would result. Presumably, at some point in the evening, there would be some kind of frog-based orgy, everyone would get pregnant and the new generation would arise. Biology was never my favourite subject at school.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
Originally, I was planning to write this column on the outcome of Brexit, and how it will change both the UK and the EU. However, the UK parliament has just had a chaotic series of votes on the issue, bordering on anarchy, meaning that we still don’t know the outcome. Parts of the government voted against itself, and government ministers, having just defended their own policies then immediately voted against them. The UK now finds itself in a sort of zombie-zone of not knowing where it will be in a day, a week, a month or a year. The UK may leave the EU with Mrs May’s deal, with another deal yet-to-be-devised (unlikely), or with no deal (alarmingly likely), and it could do any of these things within the next 14 days, next six months or in the next two years. Alternatively, the UK could stay in the EU, with or without going through another divisive referendum. In any case, there will be double-helpings of bitter-tasting humble-pie for all involved. No-one comes out of this process smelling the sweeter for it.
