Assessing the Environmental Footprint of the Cement Industry: A Pathway to Sustainable Development

Abstract Achieving a connection between sustainability processes and environmental protection, or what is known as sustainable development, requires paying more attention to environmental and sustainability issues for various projects and their effects on environmental problems. It involves determining the most appropriate ways to deal with them within pillars of sustainability (environmental, social, economic, and natural resources. As cement is a fundamental component of industrial services and construction in cities, it has a direct and significant interaction with the development process, making it one of the most important industries in Iraq. Because of the clinker particles and combustion gases that are released by the furnaces, this industry is recognized as one of the most polluting sectors of the economy. The effects of these polluted sites create negative impacts on the environment through their impact on green lands and cities adjacent to cement factories, leading to a decrease in tree growth and their spread areas, as well as their impact on residential communities and various other health and environmental impacts. Works and residential areas near cement factories are infected with respiratory and nervous system diseases, difficulty breathing, impact on mucous membranes, bronchitis, asthma, allergies, pharyngeal irritation, and direct impact on the nervous system if the necessary prevention methods and pollution reduction measures are not used.