Happy new year and welcome to the January 2026 issue of World Cement. We’re just a few days in and it’s already been a fairly turbulent year – even by the increasingly distorted standards of recent times. With mass protests escalating in Iran, the extraordinary rendition of the Venezuelan president by US special forces, dramatic scenes on the high seas as vessels from Russia’s sanctioned ‘shadow fleet’ are rounded up, and the sovereignty of Greenland suddenly being disputed, we are certainly living in ‘interesting times.’
And, of course, mother nature is not to be outdone. As I sit down to write this, the UK is bracing for Storm Goretti to make landfall. Described as a ‘multi hazard event’ and a ‘weather bomb’ (the tabloid-friendly name for the phenomenon known as ‘explosive cyclogenesis’), Goretti is expected to bring heavy snow and high winds. This has led to the Met Office issuing a range of warnings, including a rare red wind warning for residents in the south west of England who will have to endure winds in excess of 100 mph, with conditions expected to be even more severe for the Channel Islands.
For those World Cement readers living in places regularly subjected to hurricanes, monsoons, or other comparatively extreme weather phenomena, this fuss over a seasonal storm might seem a little excessive, but events like this stand out in a region known for its otherwise mild climate. And worsening weather around the UK is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. For example, the MET Office notes that whilst there’s no strong evidence that climate change is increasing the frequency of storms, there is significant evidence linking rising sea temperatures to the increasing severity of storms – particularly tropical cyclones, with category 4 and 5 storms making up a higher proportion of all storms. Additionally, these more violent storms are likely to be slower moving and longer lasting, causing further devastation on the ground. To make matters worse, sea levels continue to rise – with an average global increase of 30 cm since 1900 and a further 30 – 75 cm forecast for the rest of this century – significantly increasing the risk of, and damage caused by, storm surges and coastal flooding.
And all this is just part of the problem posed by climate change. Again taking the comparatively benign example of the UK, farmers here faced yet another terrible harvest in 2025 (the fifth worst on record) after extreme dry weather took a toll on staple crops like wheat, oats, and barley. With three of the five worst modern UK harvests on record taking place in the last five years, there is a clear trend emerging – one that threatens not just property damage and disruption, but risks undermining one of the key building blocks of modern society: agriculture.
Decarbonisation efforts – such as those pursued by the cement industry – to mitigate and reverse the impact of climate change are, therefore, more important than ever. Despite tremendous strides by producers from around the world, including the first full-scale cement CCS plant at Brevik, much still remains to be done. To hear from leaders in the cement industry’s decarbonisation process, share your experiences, and gather actionable insights for your own net zero goals, make sure to join us in London on 15 – 18 March, for EnviroTech 2026.
Register today: www.worldcement.com/envirotech
