Episode 9: Why steel/concrete produce more greenhouse gas than cars/trucks/planes and what can be done about it

In this episode we discussed a fact that is not widely known: the annual greenhouse gas production from making steel and concrete exceeds that of cars, truck and planes combined. Vikram explains that producing 1 ton of steel results in 1.8 tons of C02, amongst other pollutants. This emission is fundamental to the production process, and there are limited (but not zero) technological solutions to produce steel and concrete without producing greenhouse gases.   

Vikram posits that carbon capture technology, combined with "mineralification" of the captured CO2 is nearing the point where it becomes more economical than buying carbon credits. He further explains that the use of carbon credits for steel/concrete is really not viable, because it's too big a chunk of the market and carbon capture can solve the problem at the point source, whereas other polluting activities, such as air travel, have no near or medium term solutions for point-source capture.  Tune in to hear the discussion!