Chinese authorities have set specific carbon emission reduction targets for the cement industry as the country moves toward a low-carbon economy.
From 2024 to 2025, China plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by around 13 million tonnes through industrial renovation and equipment renewal in cement production, according to an action plan released by government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planner.
A tree grows from the cement pillar in Yonglian Village, Haikou City, Hainan Province, south China, May 5, 2024. /CFP
During this period, China also aims to conserve energy equivalent to 5 million tonnes of standard coal in cement production, according to the action plan.
By the end of 2030, it is projected that the overall energy efficiency of China's cement industry will attain a world-class level and its energy consumption pattern will be further optimized, the plan stated.
In a plan released earlier this year, China stated that half of the cement clinker production capacity in its key regions for air pollution control should achieve ultra-low emission transformation by the end of 2025. By 2028, 80 percent of China's overall cement clinker production capacity is expected to have completed this transformation.
The country has announced that it will peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.
(Cover: A tree grows from a cement pillar in Yonglian Village, Haikou City, Hainan Province, south China, May 5, 2024. /CFP)