From the construction industry to car manufacturing, steel is everywhere. It's the most commonly used metal, but also a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. In this edition of Down to Earth, we take a closer look at what can be done to clean up one of our dirtiest industries.
Coal and oil have long had the reputation of being the world's biggest polluters. The role of heavy industries and steel in particular, on the other hand, is often overlooked. And yet, steel-making is responsible for nearly 7 percent of global CO2 emissions – outranking India, the third-largest carbon emitter on the planet.
The metal is made in coal-powered blast furnaces, spewing large quantities of carbon dioxide in the process. For every tonne of steel produced, two tonnes of CO2 are pumped into the atmosphere.
So can the world bid farewell to the dirty metal?
Steel giant ArcelorMittal has already entered the race to decarbonise the industry. In Germany, other ideas are gaining traction: using green hydrogen to produce the metal or developing new materials that can replace steel in the construction industry.
