Energy intensive industries are one of the key greenhouse gas emitters, accounting for about 25% of total CO2 emissions globally. The decarbonisation of industries producing cement, iron and steel, and chemicals/petrochemicals is a top priority to attain carbon neutrality and Paris Agreement targets.
These industries are the backbone for modern economies, and they will play an important role in driving a low-carbon post-Covid recovery – among many other uses, steel and concrete structures are required for wind power; thermal insulation for energy efficiency; lightweight materials for electric cars.
Plenty of challenges remain to achieving a carbon-neutral industry. They include a wide range of unreplaceable energy-intensive carbon-emitting industrial processes, low-profit margins for commodity products in a global competitive environment and the expected rise of demand for carbon intensive materials in sectors, such as buildings, transport, and health care.
Recommendations from this workshop will feed into a Brief on decarbonization of Energy Intensive Industries, which is designed to contribute to UN High Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26 and form the basis for UNECE future work on this topic.
Objectives:
• Understand the situation of selected energy intensive industries in the UNECE region
• Exchange experience on technology options and carbon circularity to reduce carbon intensity
• Identify successful business models and collaborative activities across UNECE region
• Propose policy solutions for industries in the UNECE region