Thread by @SamJamesMorgan

🌱 As climate was very much the flavour of the week, maybe now is a good time to have a look at where the real problems are when it comes to curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Especially since the EU is ratcheting its target up from 40% by 2030 to 55% (probably). Thread./

🚧 Cement. Manufacturing produces 8% of global emissions. EIGHT-PER-CENT. That's only a little less than the EU's total contribution. Heidelberg Cement is aiming to reduce its output to "just" 500kg of CO2 per tonne produced by 2030. These are big numbers, needless to say

🏠 Buildings. 36% of EU emissions come from them. New rules on new builds will ramp up efficiency but old buildings need renovating. That is costly and inconvenient for most people. A real public awareness boost is needed to increase rates to their required level

🚢 Shipping. 3.7% of the EU's total and growing. The sector will be added to the bloc's carbon market but new tech needs to be deployed. There are no hydrogen, ammonia-fuelled ships in service yet, and vessels have lifetimes that last decades not just years

🚜 Farming. ~10% + falling. But there are diminishing returns as new techniques can only achieve so much. It's a politically-charged sector where any notion of degrowth is a hard sell. It's also likely on a collision course with the EU's planned reliance on carbon sinks, land use

✈️ Aviation. 3% of EU total, increasing but COVID-hit. Same tech issues as shipping, also little attention paid to non-CO2 impacts. Commission assessment did not mention them

By no means an exhaustive list of course, just a few options either off the radar or inherently difficult to clean up