10 Emerging Technology Solutions for Planetary Health
World Economic Forum, vol.1, no.1, pp.19-21, 2025 (Non Peer-Reviewed Journal)
- Publication Type: Article / Letter
- Volume: 1 Issue: 1
- Publication Date: 2025
- Journal Name: World Economic Forum
- Page Numbers: pp.19-21
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University Affiliated: No
Abstract
Concrete is the most widely used construction material on Earth. Production of its key binding ingredient, Portland cement, contributes approximately 8% of global CO2 emissions and drives unsustainable demand for sand, stripping riverbeds and coastlines and damaging ecosystems.41,42 Novel cement-free green concrete technologies offer an alternative by eliminating Portland cement altogether and instead using binders derived from industrial byproducts or construction and demolition waste (CDW).43,44 Some of these technologies also enable CO2 mineralization during curing, where CO2 is actively introduced and sequestered into the concrete matrix. This process not only eliminates emissions from traditional cement production but also creates a permanent storage route for captured CO2 . 45 Together, these advances cut demand for extracted raw materials and ease pressure on planetary boundaries related to climate change, land-system change, biogeochemical flows and novel entities