Research on carbon intensity of global seaborne metallurgical coal exports and implications

IF 9.8 1区社会学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environmental Impact Assessment Review Pub Date : 2025-02-06 DOI:10.1016/j.eiar.2025.107854

Liwei Qu , Yang Li , Juan Guo , Lianghui Li , Bochao An

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Despite escalating environmental regulations and intensifying decarbonization demand within the steel industry, comprehensive frameworks for emission disclosure remain under development. The sector is gradually incorporating requirements to report upstream emissions that are tied to raw material supply chains. This study presented a detailed carbon footprint assessment of seaborne metallurgical (met) coal trading by creating a global database of seaborne met coal export mines and optimizing both the trade matrix and mine-to-destination transportation network. Employing a bottom-up approach coupled with life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, this study calculated carbon intensity (CI) of global seaborne met coal mines. The analysis reveals significant variability in CI, ranging from 63.4 to 665.5 kg CO₂eq/t, with a global volume-weighted average of 217.6 kg CO₂eq/t. The variability is influenced by factors including mine extraction methods, raw coal quality, transportation mode, and destination distance. The heterogeneity of CIs highlights substantial decarbonization potential. Forecasts of seaborne met coal demand through 2050 suggest that prioritizing low-carbon supply chain pathways alone could yield CO₂eq reduction by an average of up to 230Mt, even in the absence of additional emission mitigation strategies

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来源期刊

Environmental Impact Assessment Review ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-

CiteScore

12.60

自引率

10.10%

发文量

200

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： Environmental Impact Assessment Review is an interdisciplinary journal that serves a global audience of practitioners, policymakers, and academics involved in assessing the environmental impact of policies, projects, processes, and products. The journal focuses on innovative theory and practice in environmental impact assessment (EIA). Papers are expected to present innovative ideas, be topical, and coherent. The journal emphasizes concepts, methods, techniques, approaches, and systems related to EIA theory and practice.