Disruptors

Concrete: An unlikely hero in the climate crisis

Episode Summary

The climate crisis is accelerating. The pressing work at hand is the reduction of carbon in the atmosphere - and we have about a decade to do it. Climate innovators are focused on carbon utilization, meaning the process of taking carbon out of the atmosphere and turning it into an economic product. In this episode, host John Stackhouse talks with Rob Niven and Jennifer Wagner of CarbonCure, a Halifax-based company that’s building technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere and inject it into concrete, making it both more environmentally friendly and stronger.

Episode Notes

The world is on track to add as many people to cities in the next 40 years as we have in the last 40 centuries. Those new buildings and roads will require a lot of concrete, which historically was an economically and environmentally inefficient building material. However, new innovators are leveraging technology to tackle both of those problems. The challenge they face, though, is around policy and building momentum. Right now, regulations prohibit some concrete manufacturers from innovating, even as more companies are demanding climate action. 

Key takeaways: 

• City and rural dwellers alike are impacted by inefficient concrete and should advocate for the use of climate-friendly building materials.
• Climate entrepreneurs like CarbonCure provide solutions that can turn legacy materials into an engine for environmental good. 
• Canada has all the ecosystem support - talent, knowledge, and global connections - necessary to lead the climate entrepreneurship race. What’s missing is policy action and market signals from governments that climate-friendly building materials should be prioritized.