North American ferrous and nonferrous metal producers-individually and on a collaborative basis-have made concerted efforts to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and are looking to continue doing so. The answer to whether these efforts are paying off might well be rooted in how you define paying off. In terms of actual emissions, the steps taken so far do seem to be effective. A spokeswoman for ArcelorMittal SA, for example, points to two reports: one from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showing that domestic steel industry emissions declined 67 percent between 1995 and 2006, the other from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) boasting that the industry has sliced energy intensity (energy per ton shipped) by 33 percent since 1990. Lower energy intensity translates into lower GHG emissions.
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