More about Objective 5.0
At 12 gigatons of emissions, 20 percent of the global total, the things we manufacture place a heavy burden on our atmosphere.
Even if we succeed in decarbonizing our grids and electrifying our modes of transport, we will still need to cut greenhouse gases released from the manufacturing of materials. Some of those emissions derive from fossil fuels used for heat. Others are generated by chemical reactions in the manufacturing process.
The first strategy in our industrial playbook is simply to use less. Structures designed with smaller amounts of concrete add less carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
The second strategy is to recycle and reuse. By salvaging textiles and creating recycled fabrics, we won’t need to produce them from scratch.
The third strategy resides in alternative heat sources—forging steel, for example, with zero-emissions sources such as green hydrogen, a clean fuel that can be created with solar and wind power.