Cement, Energy and Environment

change and the Amazon Basin alone could see changes in biodiversity over 80% of the region . Most of the changes in the Congo area likely to come from selective logging and climate change, which could negatively affect between 35% and 74% of that region . At the continental scale, about 70% of Africa's tropical forest biodiversity would likely be affected if current practices are not curtailed. In Asia and the central and southern Pacific islands, deforestation and logging are the primary drivers of ecosystem changes. Model projections suggest that climate change might play a lesser role there than in Latin America or Africa . That said , the research showed between 60% and 77% of the area is susceptible to biodiversity losses via massive ongoing land-use changes in the region . "This study is the strongest evidence yet that the world's natural ecosystems will undergo profound changes - including severe alterations in their species composition - through the combined influence of climate change and land use," remarked Daniel Nepstad, Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center. "Conservation of the world's biota, as we know it, will depend upon rapid, steep declines in greenhouse gas emissions." The study was published in the 5 August 2010 issue of Conservation Letters. The John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation , support the Carnegie Landsat Analysis System, the Global Spectronomics project, and this study. Courtesy: TERRAGREEN, October 2010, PSS. CHINA TOPPLES JAPAN AS SECOND LARGEST ECONOMY After three decades of spectacular growth, China Passed Japan in the second quarter to become the world's second largest economy behind the US, according to government figures released recently. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China's ascendance is for real and that the rest of the world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower. The recognition came, when Tokyo said that Japan's economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in 02, slightly below China's $1.33 trillion. Japan's economy grew 0.4% in the quarter, Tokyo said, substantially less than the forecast. That weakness suggests China's economy will race past Japan's for the full year. Courtesy: TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) Newswire, 16-31 August 2010, P21. MoBAY CONGRESS HIGHLIGHTS Paul Maxwell-Cook reviews some of the papers presented at the 2"th FICEM– APCAC Technical Congress, which took place in Montego Bay Jamaica September 2010. With the theme 'International and Cement Industry Sustainability Exports', the Technical Sessions got under way with presentations by the two keynote speakers: Howard Klee, Director, Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI ) WBCSD, and Aranaud Pinatel, Senior Analyst, Exane BNP Paribas. After running through the history of the CSI from its beginnings in 1999 to where it is today with 24 members representing 100 countries, including the latest - the Argos Group in Colombia, KLee provided an outline of the Cement Technology Roadmap 2009, that is described as 'Charting a Transition for the Cement Industry'. Its goal is to identify technology contributions towards a 50% C0 2 reduction during 2005-2050. He estimates that cement production will reach 3 - 4 billion tpa by 2030, which of course means increased C0 2 emissions. The author described four levers for C0 2 reductions in the cement industry. These are: • Energy efficiency - small impact; new plants that are already highly energy efficient. • Alternative fuels co- processing biomass and waste materials. • Blending materials - using substitutes for clinker. • Carbon capture and storage - not yet ready for this. Cement manufacturers face significant sustainability challenges ahead . Questions include: • Can the cement industry's climate impacts be managed? • Can employee safety be improved? • 'Green (sustainable) building' codes are growing in importance. Is concrete a sustainable construction material? • Is water use being well managed where it is an important local issue? • Are quarries improving or destroying biodiversity? Courtesy: World Cement, October 2010, Pp17-18. 93