Sustainable Mining and Metallurgy

In this new developmental phase, it is of vital importance to elucidate the nexus between carbon emissions and growth in the steel industry, and delineate the carbon reduction pathway. This elucidation can catalyze high quality development in the steel sector and advance the “Dual Carbon” objectives within this realm. By utilizing carbon emissions data from China's steel industry for the period 2000—2019, the Tapio decoupling model was deployed to scrutinize the relationship between carbon emissions and industry growth. The Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method was adopted for the decomposition of carbon emission drivers. The study indicates that from 2000 to 2019, the decoupling state between carbon emissions and industry growth in China's steel industry was primarily weak, demonstrating relative stability. The production scale effect and resource efficiency effect are the chief propellants of rising carbon emissions, whereas the energy structure and consumption intensity effects serve to restrain emissions. To facilitate a reduction in carbon emissions in the steel industry and foster high quality development under low carbon emissions, it is recommended to significantly augment research investment in the steel industry, adjust the industry's energy structure, innovate process flows, and envisage an evidence based development scale.