Achieving a Carbon Neutral Society without Industry Contraction in the Five Major Steel Producing Countries

Kyunsuk Choi,Hyunjoung Lee,Hiroyuki Matsuura,Il Sohn

doi:10.3390/su8050484

Kyunsuk Choi, Hyunjoung Lee + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su8050484

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Citations: 20	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Yonsei University, The University of Tokyo

Abstract

This study analyzed the direct and indirect CO2 emissions of the energy-intensive basic metals industry, in particular steels, using the distributions of various energy sources, including coal/peat, oil, and electricity, from an input–output table. An analysis of five major steel producing countries indicated that direct CO2 emissions increased 1.4-fold and that indirect CO2 emissions increased by more than two-fold between 1995 and 2010. The elasticity of the CO2 emissions and the total energy costs indicated that Korea, Japan, and Germany are sensitive to energy sources from the electric power industry, whereas China and the US are more sensitive to energy sources pertaining to the coal and oil industry. Using the available forest area and photosynthesis, the potential neutralization ability of CO2 was estimated using the eco-CO2 index. The US yielded the highest CO2 neutralization ability of 66.1%, whereas Korea yielded a CO2 neutralization ability of 15%. Future trends of the 2030 eco-CO2 index revealed China and Korea will rapidly lose their neutralization ability resulting in a net negative neutralization ability if left unabated. The significant decline in the eco-CO2 index for the basic metals industry may be inhibited by utilizing bamboo wood charcoal for pulverized coal injection (PCI) in the steelmaking process.

Highlights

With the occurrence of unusual weather variations, natural disasters, and other sudden atmospheric catastrophes, which correlate with the increased emissions of greenhouse gases [1], there has been wide scrutiny by the international community to regulate the CO2 emissions [2,3]
Within the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement regarding the level of CO2 abatement for member countries, which is dependent on the degree of economic development, has attempted to enforce regulations for actual reductions in the total output of greenhouse gas (GHG)
This study aims to provide a different perspective on the amount of CO2 emitted by countries using this eco-CO2 index and to better compare the accountabilities of countries with significant CO2 emissions

Summary

Introduction

With the occurrence of unusual weather variations, natural disasters, and other sudden atmospheric catastrophes, which correlate with the increased emissions of greenhouse gases [1], there has been wide scrutiny by the international community to regulate the CO2 emissions [2,3]. Because recent issues regarding the output of CO2 are expected to affect the natural environment and the business environment, international effort is underway to reduce the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Within the Kyoto Protocol, an agreement regarding the level of CO2 abatement for member countries, which is dependent on the degree of economic development, has attempted to enforce regulations for actual reductions in the total output of GHG. This study attempts to correlate the industry and CO2 emissions with a focus on the basic metals industry and, in particular, the steel industry, which is known to be one of the highest emitters of GHGs and consumers of energy

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