The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India

The report examines the feasibility of sectoral agreements for GHG emission reductions in the steel sectors of China and India. It argues that while these countries are already achieving reductions beyond simple stock turnover, further abatement requires national approaches that address both price and non-price barriers. The study suggests that targeting specific abatement categories may be more realistic than a single sector-wide target due to uncertainties in costs and business-as-usual emissions, though it would offer less flexibility.

• China and India are currently achieving greenhouse gas emission reductions that exceed what would be expected from stock turnover alone, suggesting that sectoral agreements could further incentivize these reductions, although the exact effectiveness remains unclear.
• A carbon price alone, derived from apportioning a sector target to individual plants, is unlikely to produce significant reductions in the steel sector; instead, an effective approach must address both price and non-price barriers.
• Transnational trading is not considered a viable political option for the steel sector in the medium term, leading the study to recommend a national approach utilizing both price and non-price incentives.
• Designing schemes around specific abatement categories—of which four were identified—would reduce risks associated with uncertainties in costs and business-as-usual emissions, although this is less flexible than a single sector-wide target.

APA

Wooders,, P. (2010). The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/role-sectoral-approaches-and-agreements-focus-steel-sector-china-and-india-full

Chicago

Wooders,, Peter. The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2010. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/role-sectoral-approaches-and-agreements-focus-steel-sector-china-and-india-full.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wooders, |first1=Peter |title=The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=4 March 2010 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/role-sectoral-approaches-and-agreements-focus-steel-sector-china-and-india-full |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wooders2010role, author = {Wooders,, Peter}, title = {{The Role of Sectoral Approaches and Agreements: Focus on the Steel Sector in China and India}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2010}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/role-sectoral-approaches-and-agreements-focus-steel-sector-china-and-india-full}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }