G7 Launches Initiative to Decarbonize Heavy Industries

The Department of Energy announced that the G7 has launched an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in heavy industries.

Led by the United States and the United Kingdom, the G7 Industrial Decarbonization Agenda is aimed at decarbonizing the steel, cement, chemical and other similar sectors to address climate change, DOE said.

The IDA will “complement and support the activities of existing key initiatives and amplify ambition, while plugging critical gaps in the landscape wherever they exist,” the G7 said in a policy paper.

The G7 countries — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States — vowed to pursue net-zero emissions by 2050.

During the G7 Climate and Environment Ministerial, the member countries also pledged to collaborate on issues such as market regulation, standards development, investment flows and procurement strategies.

DOE added that the G7 also wants to strengthen platforms like the Clean Energy Ministerial forums and the Mission Innovation global clean energy initiative.

The White House has announced plans to decarbonize the U.S. economy by 2050, a goal that the Biden administration set for itself in its earliest days.

On April 22, President Joe Biden released a fact sheet detailing his plan to halve the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions levels from 2005 by 2030.

Biden said he wants to tackle climate change without sacrificing workers’ welfare, economic competitiveness or the health and security of communities.

To support Biden’s climate plans, DOE launched a series of funding opportunities aimed at decarbonizing various industries and advancing clean energy technologies.

The department recently earmarked $35 million for technologies that have the potential to decarbonize biorefining processes in the energy, transportation and agriculture sectors.