Phasing out blast furnace climate targets

This research paper examines the impact of existing primary steel production equipment on global greenhouse gas emissions and argues that the emissions commitment of this infrastructure is lower than previously estimated, shifting the focus of decarbonization toward the deployment of new technologies and demand reduction.

• Iron and steel production accounts for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the longevity of production equipment has been identified as a barrier to meeting climate targets.
• Based on furnace-level data of historical operating patterns, the authors estimate the emissions commitment of current primary steel equipment to be 21 Gt CO2eq, which is significantly lower than previous estimates of 52–65 Gt CO2eq.
• The authors conclude that future steel emissions are primarily driven by the speed of renewable energy provision, the deployment of new technologies, and reductions in energy use and steel demand, rather than the lifespan of existing capital.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Phasing out blast furnace climate targets. https://www.sei.org/publications/phasing-out-blast-furnace-climate-targets

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Phasing out blast furnace climate targets. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/phasing-out-blast-furnace-climate-targets.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Phasing out blast furnace climate targets |date=20 October 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/phasing-out-blast-furnace-climate-targets |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021phasing, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Phasing out blast furnace climate targets}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/phasing-out-blast-furnace-climate-targets}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }