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SUMMARY:Carbon Clarity in the Global Petrochemical Supply Chain - Jonathan
  Cullen + students\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20240209T130000Z
DTEND:20240209T140000Z
UID:TALK208810@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:114742
DESCRIPTION:Abstract:\n\nOur world could not function without plastics\, s
 ynthetic fertilisers\, and chemical derivatives. Yet making these products
  exacts a significant toll on the environment.  The petrochemical sector i
 s accountable for a third of industrial final energy use\, a tenth of glob
 al oil and natural gas demand\, and almost a fifth of global industrial ca
 rbon emissions. And demand for chemicals is expected to double by 2050.  A
  future sustainable petrochemical sector will need to innovate quickly to 
 deliver products with net zero GHG emissions and a reduced burden on the e
 nvironment and natural resources.\n\nHowever\, the decarbonisation of the 
 petrochemical sector is challenging given the complexity of supply chains 
 and thermodynamic constraints of the chemical reactions. Emissions are rel
 eased throughout their life cycles\, with varying stages dominating for di
 fferent products. Mitigation options are therefore less straightforward th
 an in other industries\, requiring a system-wide approach. The nature of t
 he sector also makes data collection and analysis challenging\, meaning th
 ere is currently no reliable\, comprehensive picture of GHG emissions or e
 nergy\, mass\, and trade flows of the petrochemical sector.\n\nIn this tal
 k\, I will present finding from C-THRU a 3-year international research pro
 ject with the aim of delivering carbon clarity in the global petrochemical
  sector. The project aims to build the world’s most comprehensive\, reli
 able\, and transparent account of current and future emissions from the pe
 trochemical sector and explore how future interventions and innovations co
 uld minimise greenhouse gas emissions.  The research supports strategic po
 licy and business decision-making to promote the sustainability of the pet
 rochemical sector\, making it compatible with climate change mitigation go
 als.\n\nBio:\n\nJonathan Cullen is the Professor of Sustainable Engineerin
 g at the University of Cambridge. Jonathan's research interests span energ
 y and material systems\, efficiency limits\, circularity and zero carbon t
 ransition pathways. He currently leads C-THRU: carbon clarity in the globa
 l petrochemical supply chain (c-thru.org)\, and is a co-investigator on: C
 CG: Climate Compatible Growth (climatecompatiblegrowth.com)\, TransFIRe: F
 oundation Industries Research and Innovation Hub (transfire-hub.org)\, S2u
 PPlant: Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging from Plants (UKRI)\, and UK FI
 RES: Locating Resource Efficiency at the heart of Future Industrial Strate
 gy (ukfires.org). He is a Lead Author for the IPCC AR6 Industry Chapter an
 d co-authored the book Sustainable Materials: with both eyes open\, which 
 pioneered the concept of material efficiency for energy-intensive industri
 es (www.refficiency.org/publications/smwbeo/).
LOCATION:FW11\, William Gates Building. Zoom link: https://cl-cam-ac-uk.zo
 om.us/j/4361570789?pwd=Nkl2T3ZLaTZwRm05bzRTOUUxY3Q4QT09&amp\;from=addon 
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