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Advancing energy and climate solutions through chemistry

Meeting the world’s energy needs while improving sustainability is one of the key challenges of the 21st Century.

The chemical industry has a significant role to play in the energy and climate discussions given the importance of energy to our business. We use energy as our major fuel source and raw material.

At the same time, chemistry is at the heart of many of the energy-saving solutions that help society reduce greenhouse gas emissions. High-performance building insulation and windows, more efficient fuels, wind turbines, solar panels, and lightweight auto parts and packaging are among the many energy-efficient and renewable energy products made possible by chemistry.

Next week, thousands of government officials, industry representatives, NGOs and other experts are meeting in Warsaw, Poland, for the 19th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP-19) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to address climate change.

The global chemical industry, through the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), supports efforts to help find sustainable solutions to climate challenges. At this year’s COP, ICCA will host a side event that brings together a panel of experts from the chemicals industry, the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to offer their perspectives on innovative solutions to energy efficiency and GHG emissions reduction. On Thursday, November 14, the panelists will discuss:

• The central role of technological advances, now and in the future, in addressing energy efficiency and GHG abatement;
• The potential for significant energy efficiency and GHG emission reductions in the buildings sector, which could be achieved through greater use of technologies that are available today, many of them enabled by chemistry;
• The importance of considering a life cycle approach to reducing global GHG emissions; and
• The need for new ideas and policy tools to meet these challenges sustainably.

Governments around the world agree that action needs to be taken to enhance sustainability, particularly through increasing energy efficiency over the coming decades. The global chemical industry stands ready to help address these challenges through development and adoption of energy-saving materials and technologies and supportive governmental policies.

Find more information about ICCA’s activities at COP-19 here.