The Future for Cement

Both presenters at the Future Hudson event on Saturday made reference to the St. Lawrence cement battle, successfully waged from 1998 to 2005. The massive cement plant's potential to pollute the environment of the Hudson Valley was a major impetus that brought people together to fight the project that threatened to stymie Hudson's future. 

In the days since Saturday, Bloomberg and CNN Business have reported that a coalition made up of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC) and Climate Action 100+--a coalition that manages more than $33 trillion in capital--is pressuring cement makers "to accelerate efforts to reduce their emissions." Among the four cement companies being asked to commit to being carbon neutral by 2050 is Lafarge Holcim, the company St. Lawrence Cement was evolved into. CCN Business quotes the CEO of IIGCC as saying, "The cement sector needs to dramatically reduce the contribution it makes to climate change. Delaying or avoiding this challenge is not an option. This is ultimately a business-critical issue for the sector." Bloomberg quotes the CEO of the Ethos Foundation, a member of the coalition, as warning, "Construction material companies may ultimately risk divestment and lack of access to capital."
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The images accompanying this post are from Sam Pratt's "Hudson 101: The Cement Plant Battle."