core sector communique

China’s climate change commitment allows it to increase its CO₂ emissions by 75 to 90% by 2020

European steel industry stresses the need for equal treatment of industrial sectors worldwide

“While we recognize the commitment of China to reduce its CO₂ emissions per unit of national income by 40 to 45% in 2020 compared to 2005 levels we must point out that this would still lead to an increase of its CO₂ emissions by 75 to 90% in 2020, or 5.5 to 6.8 billion tonnes of CO₂, which is more than the total of the EU’s CO₂ emissions today”, says Gordon Moffat, EUROFER director general. “If any significant step forward to reduce global GHG emissions is to be achieved, and for reasons of fair competition, China and other emerging economies must commit to the same reductions for their industrial installations as the developed countries. Producers of globally traded industrial goods such as steel need a level playing field if carbon leakage is to be avoided and if we wish to see a real reduction in emissions worldwide.”

The calculation is made on the basis of an expected growth of China’s Gross National Income of 8% in average per year in the period from 2005 to 2020. According to a US Congress report, China’s GHG emissions in 2005 had been at 5.77 tonnes CO₂ per capita, total CO₂ emissions at 7.53 billion tonnes. China would therefore take about 23.8 billion tCO₂ in 2020 as the basis for calculating its objective. As a result, in 2020 this would be at 13.1 to 14.3 billion tCO2, which is an increase in emissions of 5.57 to 6.77 billion tCO2 or 74% to 90 % compared to 2005 and more than the total of the EU's CO2 emissions today. The EU in 2007 emitted 5.05 bln t/CO2.

Represented by EUROFER, the European steel industry is the world leader in its sector with a turnover of EUR 190 billion and direct employment of 420 thousand people, producing 200 million tonnes of steel per year.