It is hard to imagine modern life without the iron, steel, cement, chemicals and everyday plastics produced by heavy industries. According to World Steel Association estimates, the iron and steel sector accounts for between 7 and 9 per cent of man-made CO? emissions globally. A further 8 per cent comes from cement making, and the chemicals sector is the third-largest for direct carbon emissions, the International Energy Agency has found.

Despite commitments from all these energy-intensive sectors to reduce their emissions, none is on track to reach net zero by 2050, says the IEA.

But Coolbrook, an engineering technology company based in Finland, is aiming to change all that. It is working on technology that can produce the extreme heat needed for industrial processes from renewable electricity sources.