U.S. Steel's Far-Off Emissions Goal Requires Radical Overhaul

摘要

U.S. Steel Corp. is setting a goal to zero out its direct emissions by 2050 in an effort that would require the steelmaker to radically overhaul its entire business. The announcement by the Pittsburgh-based company is the most aggressive emissions goal yet by an American steelmaker, and would include so-called Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. The two types encompass a firm's direct emissions and those from the power it consumes. The target doesn't include emissions from the supply chain. Steelmaking is one of the world's most polluting industries, accounting for about 6% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 8% of energy related emissions, according to researchers at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. Most of U.S. Steel's production is made from older, dirtier integrated mills. "By announcing our net-zero goal, U.S. Steel is committing to doing our part to support the U.N. Paris Agreement on climate change to achieve global carbon neutrality by 2050," Chief Executive Officer Dave Burritt said in a statement Wednesday. "We believe that we have a path forward that allows us to profitably produce sustainable steels well into the future."