Steel's CO_2 balance—a contribution to climate protection

Steel making is energy and material intensive.That is why steel is always demonized and confronted with incriminations and requirements for reduction of its environmental impact.Those pure demands-like for emission trading are short-sighted as they do not base on an integrated approach.Instead they merely consider CO_2 emissions during the production process.A forward-looking,global climate and environmental policy needs a sustainable life cycle approach.Therefore it must for example also take into account the contribution of steel towards cutting emissions in its application-in the energy.automotive and household sectors.Steel will play a key role in climate protection. One-third of the remaining CO_2 reduction target planned in Germany by 2020 can only be achieved with the help of innovative steel products and their applications.This is the conclusion of an independent study by The Boston Consulting Group(BCG) on behalf of Steel Institute VDEh,and German Steel Federation.The study compares CO_2 savings from important innovative steel applications(such as more efficient power stations,wind turbines,or lighter vehicles) with CO_2 emissions caused by steel production. By adopting this comprehensive perspective,the study for the first time provides a CO_2 balance for the material steel by comparing the CO_2 reductions made possible through innovative steel applications with the CO_2 emissions resulting from steel production.The balance was calculated on the basis of eight selected innovative steel applications in Germany for the period 2007 to 2020,whereby the CO_2 emissions caused by steel production were considered throughout the entire life cycle of the particular steel use.For the selected examples,the use of innovative steels resulted in a total savings potential of 74 Mt of CO_2 in 2020.The calculations are based on conservative assumptions;for example without counting of potentials by exported steel or by comparison with competitive materials. The production of steel in Germany,including the extraction of raw materials,transports and further processing, causes annual emissions of approx.67 Mt CO_2 This can be more than compensated by the above mentioned CO_2 savings.The balance is even more positive if one only considers the emissions of about 12 Mt/a CO_2 caused by the selected eight steel applications.Innovative steel use thus saves six times as much CO_2 as is generated by its production. Steel is part of the story and helps to achieve CO_2 reduction targets.On this basis the steel industry should start up with a new global approach to be accepted as a CO_2 killer,too,instead of being the devil.This needs a political discussion on an integrated approach taking into account the whole life cycle,which finally can lead away from stringent emission caps or incompatible emissions trading systems for the different regions.

Climate Protection in Urban Transport--Six Scenario Studies in Germany： More Climate Protection, Fewer Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Less Car Traffic

Six German scenario studies on urban passenger transport for Munich 2058, Wuppertal 2050, Eastern Ruhr Region 2030, Tuebingen 2030, Cologne 2020 and Hanover Region 2020 investigate the key question： With which strategies and on what kind of scale, is it possible to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of urban passenger transport to accomplish the 2℃ climate protection goal with a consequently huge reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 80% to 95% by 2050 in relation to the base year 1990？ The scenarios show that the major challenge of a ＂climate-friendly city transport＂ can be achieved by appropriate measures （regarding direction and scale）： in small and medium-sized cities, large cities, cities of over a million people, and metropolitan regions. The scenarios demonstrate the extent to which the considered measures contribute to the CO2 reduction, and which gap to the achievement of the goal remains if that which is currently regarded as realistic in practice is really implemented in future. Thus, they illustrate the conflict between that which is necessary for climate protection and that which is currently considered feasible in politics. The scenarios show that it is essential to act quickly and appropriately, and not hesitantly or without conviction.