Zero
Time to Retire ‘Hard to Abate’ as Climate Solutions Become More Affordable
There was a time when there was no technical or affordable way to reduce emissions from steel or aviation, but those arguments aren’t holding up as well.
An employee works in the blast furnace at a steel mill.
Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Jargon often gets in the way of clearly understanding the climate challenge. While some technical terms such as “net zero” are useful and continue to gain wider acceptance, others aren’t so helpful. Take the phrase “hard to abate.”
The simplest definition of “hard to abate” is that an industry finds it difficult to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. The industries that the term is typically used for are steel, cement, chemicals, shipping, aviation and sometimes long-distance trucking.