New Research Finds Building with Zinc Prevents Substantial Carbon Emissions
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DURHAM, N.C. — Using zinc to build a single home prevents more than 50 tonnes in carbon emissions, and if just ten percent of new homes in North America were built using zinc, more than 40 million tonnes in carbon emissions would be prevented. These impressive numbers demonstrating zinc's success story as an agent of decarbonization are the first results of the International Zinc Association's new Zinc Enables Decarbonization (ZED) initiative, a partnership between the International Zinc Association and Environmental Economist Benjamin Cox, Program Director of the Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining at the University of British Columbia.
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The ZED program quantifies zinc's impact with steel on decreasing life-time costs, decreasing carbon emissions, and increasing safety in housing, infrastructure, energy and transportation. The first phase has assessed the value in residential construction, where zinc is used to coat and protect the rebar used in the reinforced concrete of a home's foundation and in the sheeting of a metal roof. A zinc coating prevents corrosion and ensures longevity.
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'Zinc plays a transformative role in building stronger, more sustainable communities, particularly in the decarbonization of residential buildings,' said Andrew Green, Executive Director of the International Zinc Association. 'From the foundation to the rooftop, zinc enables long-lasting, low-maintenance solutions that enhance a home's durability and environmental performance.'
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In a typical U.S. home, a traditional foundation may last 75 years and an asphalt roof as long as 25 years, but a home using galvanized steel in concrete reinforcement and in roofing materials can double the service life and avert future costs and emissions associated with repair and replacement, according to ZED research. The selection of galvanized steel for new roofs in Europe also can prevent more than ten tonnes of carbon emissions per home and provide substantial economic savings over using tile roofing materials.
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'Our research finds that zinc provides long-term savings by preventing repeated repair and replacement of a home's roof and foundation,' said ZED Economist Benjamin Cox. 'But in addition to economic savings, we've also accounted for the extraordinary environmental benefit provided by zinc – preventing hundreds of millions of tonnes in carbon emissions.'
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The financial and environmental benefits are detailed in this graphic, showing the extended service life, lowered utility bill, and avoided environmental impact of a house built using zinc.
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'Zinc's impact in housing increases with each year of service life, adding substantial economic and environmental value to every home and providing a bright outlook for zinc and the homes it enhances,' said ZED Director Eric Van Genderen. 'With these results, we can make the case to policy makers, investors, engineers, and builders to make zinc a permanent part of residential construction planning.'
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The first report from the ZED program focuses on zinc's impact on residential construction, particularly in the United States. ZED also will release reports quantifying zinc's impact in transportation infrastructure, energy infrastructure, and the automotive industry.
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Toronto Star
5 days ago
- Toronto Star
Government adviser slams Mark Carney for promoting ‘decarbonized' oil pipelines
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But he says the range of the discussion is about more than just pipelines, involving the Western-Arctic corridor to move a broader number of products. (June 3, 2025 / The Canadian Press) 'The government is going to embarrass itself by using such industry and marketing speak.' Leaving a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson and Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin ignored questions about what the government means by 'decarbonized' oil. Carney made the statement at Monday's meeting with the premiers in Saskatoon, where his plan to fast-track development projects 'of national interest' took centre stage. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — a staunch promoter of the fossil fuel sector who has long opposed federal climate policies like carbon pricing and regulations to limit emissions — said she was encouraged by the new government's approach. 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There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
National Post
23-05-2025
- National Post
Canada $5.79 Bn Legal Cannabis Market Share, Trends Analysis and Growth Forecasts, 2025-2030: New Educational Initiatives Propel Awareness, Rising Use of CBD for Anxiety, Pain, and Seizures
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Global News
17-05-2025
- Global News
Trump wants to ‘equalize' and lower drug prices. Could Canada be impacted?
U.S. President Donald Trump has launched a new effort to lower prescription drug prices for Americans that targets foreign nations — both for the lower prices they pay and the potential to import cheaper drugs from those countries. Yet the federal government and policy experts say any potential impacts from the executive order signed this week — including supply shortages and higher prices — aren't likely to hit Canada. 'I don't think this is actually likely to be a direct threat against Canada,' said Michael Law, a professor at the University of British Columbia and the Canada Research Chair in access to medicines. Trump's order calls on the health department, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to broker new price tags for drugs over the next month. If deals are not reached with the drugmakers, Kennedy will be tasked with developing a new rule that ties the price the U.S. pays for medications to lower prices paid by other countries. Story continues below advertisement 'We're going to equalize,' Trump said at a Monday press conference. 'The rest of the world is going to have to pay a little bit more, and America is going to pay a lot less.' 1:47 Trump tariffs could raise prices in U.S. for Canadian-made drugs, research letter warns In Canada, drug prices are overseen by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, which told Global News it protects Canadian consumers by reviewing prices and ensuring they're not 'excessive.' 'If the price of a patented medicine is found to be excessive by a Hearing Panel, the Board has the power to order a reduction in the price in the price to a non-excessive level and to enforce that order,' a spokesperson said in an email. 'The Board is also able to order a rights holder to offset any excess revenues.' The spokesperson added the review board receives publicly-available prices for drugs sold in 11 'comparator' countries — including Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia and Sweden — that factor into prices set in Canada. Story continues below advertisement 'Since the U.S. is not in this basket of comparator countries, the (board's) price review would not be directly affected by price changes in the U.S.,' the emailed statement said. Regulatory agencies like the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which negotiates prices with drugmakers on behalf of provincial, territorial and federal health insurance plans, are generally why drug costs in Canada are lower than the U.S., experts say. Dozens of other countries have similar national regulators. According to experts who spoke with the Associated Press after Trump's announcement, the U.S. drug market mostly operates as a fragmented system where companies negotiate with individual insurers or pharmacy benefit managers, commonly known as PBMs. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In countries with single regulatory agencies, a drug company can lose out on profits entirely if a regulator walks away from negotiations, and is more likely to accept a lower price than no deal at all. The U.S. Congress in 2022 passed a new law that allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices for a handful of prescription drugs starting in 2026, primarily insulin for diabetes patients. A 2024 report published by the RAND research organization found, using 2022 data, that prices in the U.S. were 2.78 times higher than those in 33 comparable countries across all drugs. That includes Canada, where drug prices were just 44 per cent of U.S. prices, according to the report. Story continues below advertisement What about drug imports? Trump also threatened pharmaceutical companies with federal investigations into their practices and opening up the U.S. drug market to bring in more imported medications from abroad if prices aren't lowered. Law said pharmaceutical companies would likely not allow that to happen on a national scale. 'I find it highly unlikely that any branded company in the United States is going to cut their margins by sending an enormous amount of drugs to Canada, only to have it come back into the United States at a lower price,' he said. 'It'd be very easy for the companies to limit the extent to which that activity could take place.' 2:03 Health Canada promises to safeguard prescription drug supply as Florida's FDA approval raises fears Canada also doesn't have the manufacturing capacity to fulfill mass imports to the U.S. while also fulfilling domestic orders, Law said. Story continues below advertisement Individual states have sought to source cheaper drugs from Canada for decades. In 2024, Florida became the first state to get a drug importation program approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under federal law. More than a year later, however, the program has yet to begin and no drugs have been imported to Florida from Canada. Under federal requirements, state officials must first test the drugs to make sure they're authentic and relabel them so that they comply with U.S. standards. Trump in April signed an executive order on lowering drug costs that directed Kennedy to, among other things, 'streamline and improve' within 90 days the program allowing states to import drug from Canada. Colorado has said it expects its own Canadian drug import program to be approved by the FDA soon, and other states have submitted applications as well. Health Canada says it has been 'taking all necessary action to safeguard the drug supply and ensure Canadians have access to the prescription drugs they need' ever since the Florida program was approved. A spokesperson said the department has reminded drugmakers and exporters of its obligations under Canada's Food and Drug Regulations, which prohibits the sale of certain drugs intended for the Canadian market outside Canada 'if that sale would cause or worsen a drug shortage in Canada.' Story continues below advertisement 'Health Canada will not hesitate to take immediate action to address non-compliance,' the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. What could happen next with tariffs? Trump has also vowed to impose tariffs on pharmaceuticals from foreign countries. The U.S. Commerce Department last month launched a Section 232 investigation into whether those imports pose a national security threat — the same process that led to tariffs on steel and aluminum. The department did not respond to questions from Global News about whether FDA-approved state drug importation programs would conflict with that investigation or future tariffs. An FDA spokesperson, speaking on background, told Global News in an email that the agency 'is committed to implementing the executive orders related to drug imports.' 5:01 How tariffs could raise drug prices in Canada A majority of pharmaceutical ingredients used in drugs sold in North America originate from India and China, meaning tariffs on pharmaceuticals could raise prices for Americans. Story continues below advertisement Law said it's possible Indian and Chinese manufacturers facing tariffs could also pass those added costs to Canadian customers, but only if those drugs are being imported from the U.S. 'Especially for generic drugs, India manufactures the majority of the drugs that are sold in the world,' he said. 'If those drugs are getting directly imported from India to Canada, the U.S. tariffs would have little to no impact whatsoever on those products.' —with files from Global's Katie Dangerfield and the Associated Press
