Cement Energy & Environment

20 Source: IEA (2023); IPCC AR6; Nature Sustainability (2022). COMPARATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT BY SECTOR Table 1. Global Carbon Emissions by Sector (2023) Sector Estimated Emissions (GtCO 2 e/year) Share of Global Emissions (%) Key Issues Oil & Gas 5.1 15% Methane leakage, combustion Cement & Mining 2.9 8% CO 2 process emissions, dust IT & Data Centers 2.5 – 3.7 7–10% Hidden electricity use, water for cooling Space & Satellites 0.05 – 0.1 <0.5% but growing rapidly Rocket fuel, space debris, ozone layer risk Agriculture & Livestock 5.8 17% Methane, land use change Healthcare (global system) 2.0 – 2.2 5% Pharmaceuticals, plastics, hospital waste Transportation (Vehicles) 6.9 20% Tailpipe emissions, hidden EV battery chain VISUAL COMPARISON 0 Oil & Gas Emissions (GtCO 2 e/year) Cement IT/Data Centers Agriculture Space Launches 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 10 Data Centers Water use (liters/day) Agriculture 10 11 10 12 2016 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 Year E-Waste (Million tonnes) Figure 1: Carbon Footprint Comparison by Industry Figure 2: Hidden Water Footprint Figure 3: E-Waste Growth Curve (Bar chart comparing Oil & Gas, Cement, IT/Data Centers, Agriculture, and Space Launches). Data centers consume up to 1.5 billion liters/day globally for cooling; agriculture’s irrigation footprint is even higher but IT’s role is underreported. (Global e-waste projected to reach 74 Mt by 2030, with most dumped in Asia and Africa). DISCUSSION • IT & Data Centers: With over 8,000 hyperscale data centers worldwide, electricity consumption could rival Japan’s total energy use by 2030. The ESG discourse largely ignores this. • Space Technology: Each rocket launch emits 200–300 tons of CO 2 , black carbon, and alumina particles directly into the stratosphere, with long-term ozone impacts.