ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that interesting changes are underway in the cement sector, one of the most energy-intensive industries in the world. It focuses on two progressive cement companies: Holcim and HeidelbergCement. It then examines how specific companies have responded to the climate challenge in general and the mandatory European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) in particular. The cement industry portrays itself as both a source of and a solution to the climate change problem. Studies of cement industry climate strategies and how the EU ETS has affected the sector are limited to date, but there are some exceptions. In the post-Durban world, sectoral approaches to climate change are in demand. The Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI) might serve as a starting point and a model for action in other sectors as well. A solution because societies will have to adapt to more extreme and unpredictable weather and such adaptation will be largely about building new infrastructure and housing.
