Reducing CO2 emissions in steel sector

The modern world is built on steel. In developing and developed nations alike, steel has become an indispensable part of life. Global steel production has been growing for the last 50 years. In the 1950s, world steel production was about 200 million metric tons (mmt). In the last five years, the pace of growth has accelerated and in 2006, the figure stood at 1,239.5mmt. The future growth in demand for steel will be driven mainly by the needs of the developing world. The steel industry must continue to grow by 3-5% worldwide and by 8-10% in China, India and Russia to satisfy these needs. Climate change solution According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the steel industry accounts for between 3-4% of total world greenhouse gas emissions. On average, 1.7 tons of carbon dioxide is emitted for every ton of steel produced. Over 90% of steel industry emissions come from iron production in nine countries or regions: Brazil, China, EU-27, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. Technological advancements over the past 25 years have enabled substantial reductions in CO2 emissions from steel production. These advancements include: enhanced energy efficiency in the steelmaking process; improved recycling of steel products, currently in excess of 60% in developed countries; improved use of by-products from steelmaking; and better environmental protection techniques. Across many different fields, new and technologically-advanced applications of steel are part of the solution to climate change. Steel is already indispensable to renewable energy industries, for example in wind turbines and solar power structures. Steel is also a key part of the construction of carbon neutral housing for the future and in a new generation of lightweight yet fuel efficient vehicles. The potential for greatest improvement in the medium term lies in some developing countries and CIS. The steel industry is involved in many programs to help transfer efficient technologies to speed up the replacement of outdated steel plants. World Steel Association (worldsteel) is an important source of technology transfer information. Today's steelmaking processes have optimized the use of energy. Therefore to make a significant further reduction in CO2 emissions, fundamentally new processes are required. worldsteel and its members are at the cutting edge of R&D into the next-generation of steelmaking technology. The worldsteel CO2 Breakthrough Program is a long-term research project investigating new processes for steel production that will substantially decrease CO2 emissions. As modern steelmaking is already highly energy and CO2 efficient, 'breakthrough' refers to 'new discoveries' that will lead to significant changes in the way steel is made. Current situation The Japanese steel industry is engaged in a Voluntary Action Program comprising a range of efforts from international technical cooperation to R&D into further by-products uses. The Japanese steel industry has set a 10% reduction in energy consumption as its goal for the year 2010 compared to 1990 levels. The U.S. steel industry is signed up to the voluntary Climate Vision program with a commitment to improving energy intensity by 10% as a sector using a 2002 baseline. Many other countries are making similar efforts in this area. The U.S., Japan, Korea, Australia and Canada steel industries are also engaged in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which also involves India and China. The EU's emission trading scheme is the world's largest international trading scheme for greenhouse gas emissions. It is a mandatory scheme for all 27 EU member countries. Global steel sector approach worldsteel's climate change policy takes a global perspective. It is aimed at reducing CO2 emissions worldwide. This can be achievePredator 18 x Pogba FG