We can also do differently …

The focus of this issue of ZKG is environmental technology. This has in fact been a focal point for our industry for many decades already, knowing that the production of cement and lime leaves a massive footprint on the environment. Still today’s discussion on environmental technologies takes the matter much further than it was before. The “race to zero” – by the way: the largest ever alliance committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050, involving 50% of the global GDP – changes everything! I have not witnessed a time, where there was so much inventive and constructive activity among engineers and scientists like today. And actually we have come to a situation, where many of us can subscribe to the position, that we can actually achieve it – at least technically.

What is worrying me however much more is that obviously we humans have something built-in into our way of reacting on changed conditions in our environments. Surely it has often proven to be good to first wait and give it a second thought before we make a change to our hitherto suitable behaviour. Still we have often also been proven wrong in ignoring uncomfortable but proven evidence. In case of ignoring climate change, such ignorance is truly becoming an issue of literally life and death. This is no exaggeration – just be aware of the hundreds of dead from the climate change induced floods and storms. While the number of ignorant “sceptisists” is decreasing every day, still the question remains why we don’t act according to what we meanwhile know so well?

If you are also interested in finding the answer to this question, I will recommend a book to you which was just recently been published by the famous German economist Maja Göpel: “Wir können auch anders” (engl.: we can also do differently)

Wishing you an interesting reading! (and hoping for the English version of the recommended book to come out soon!)

Yours truly

Matthias Mersmann