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Select a country, a year, or both from the menu below to view other progress reports.
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Worldwide
- 2001
Working to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
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Greenhouse gases (GHG) affect the climate, and Alcoa recognizes that the risk of climate change is a vitally important issue that requires action. We have agreed to reduce our direct GHG emissions to 25% below the 1990 baseline on a worldwide basis by 2010. Here is an example of how we're moving toward this goal.
Aluminum smelters periodically emit small amounts of a GHG known as perfluorocarbon (PFC) gases, which can trap and retain heat in the atmosphere. These emissions usually occur when there is an unplanned interruption to the electrolytic smelting process, known as an anode effect.
Alcoa voluntarily agreed to reduce perfluorocarbon gases (PFC) from anode effects by at least 40% in the year 2000 relative to emissions in the base year of 1990. Our operating locations, supported by scientists and technicians, concentrated on reducing both the frequency and duration of anode effects throughout the Alcoa worldwide smelting system.
From 1990 to 2000, their efforts reduced these PFC emissions by 54%, with almost a third of our 26 smelters achieving reductions of 80% or better. Our new goal is an additional 27% reduction by 2005 from the levels achieved in 2000.
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