Why CO₂ matters – advances in a new class of cement

1 Introduction

The blanket effect of greenhouse gas emissions is increasing the temperature of the earth’s surface. As the concentration of greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, the earth’s surface gets warmer [1]. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) constitutes roughly 77% of total global greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, and for most of the last 800,000 years, CO₂ levels have stayed below 300 ppm [2]. With the onset of the industrial age, CO₂ concentrations have increased steadily, reaching 335 ppm in 1980 [3]. As of February 2013, CO₂ concentration levels reached 397 ppm [3]. According...