# How steel might finally kick its coal habit

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/how-steel-might-finally-kick-its-coal-habit/
- Published: 2021-03-04T09:15:43-06:00
- Author: Curated by Theresa Wysocki

Photo: Monty Rakusen / Getty Images. Article by Maria Gallucci. Grist – February 3, 2021. Coal’s grip on the global electricity sector is loosening as more utilities and companies invest in renewable energy. But one major coal consumer — the steel industry — is finding it harder to kick its habit. Steel companies make nearly 2 billion tons of high-strength material every year for bridges, buildings, railways, and roads. The furnaces that melt iron ore to make steel consume vast amounts of coal. As a result, the industry accounts for roughly 8 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions, as well as a toxic soup of air pollutants. […] Click here to view original web page at grist.org