Climate Change

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The Aluminum is a dactyl chemical element

nor soluble in water, and is most abundant metal on earth core, the application is bigger than oxigen an silicon.

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Climate change refers to a change in climate attributable directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the atmospheric composition of the world and adds to the natural climate variability as observed over comparable periods of time.

Climate Change and Aluminum
Aluminum is one of the materials that offers the most sustainability options of those from industries as distinct as construction, transportation, telecommunications and containers.

Aluminum is the second most important industrial metal alter steel, and is present in important ways in our lives.

The International Aluminum Institute (IAI) promotes the sustainable conduct in this sector, undertaking pertinent studies on the use of energy in industrial processes, the regulation of the emission of greenhouse gases, as well as those relative to health and occupational safety.

With the collaboration of its member companies, the IAI strives to give wider coverage to its surveys so that the results obtained reflect as closely as possible the global reality of the aluminum industry.

In this way, the results of studies have been published showing the successful measures that have been taken in recent years.

Thanks to the recycling of aluminum from 1990-2008, the emission of a billion tons of CO2, greenhouse gases (GHG) has been saved, reducing these gases by 22% including the effects of recycling.

A reduction of 70% in the emissions of fluorocarbon compounds has also been achieved since the total direct emissions have not increased between 1990 and 2008, even considering the doubling of the global production of aluminum from 12 million tons in 1990 to 24 million tons in 2007.

Other data indicate that from 1990-2006 there has been a reduction of 86% in the emissions of these compounds per ton of primary aluminum, and it is planned to achieve a reduction of at least 50% in 2020 over the 2006 figures, equivalent to a 93% reduction from 1990.

Even so, the aluminum industry has the objective of the long term and complete elimination of perfluorocarbon (PFC).

By using aluminum in vehicles, thus making them more light weight, 300 million potential tons of CO2 have been saved, as well as 80 million tons of CO2 from the recycling of 9 million tons of post-consumption aluminum, with additional savings from the 9 million tons of aluminum recycled annually from factories (pre-consumption). Another objective of the IAI is the reduction of 33% of fluorine emissions and a savings of 10% in the average consumption of melting energy per ton of aluminum produced in 2010, as compared with 1990.

Additionally, the IAI not only looks out for the improvement of the economic and environmental aspects, but their initiatives also strive for social gains in the aluminum industry.

The goal is to reduce by 50% the index of accidents registered in 2010 as compared to the year 2000, by implementing the Environmental, Health and Safety Management Systems and applying programs for monitoring risk exposure of employees in 95% of the IAI member company plants. On the other hand, the industry is concerned with the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the transport of aluminum by road, rail and maritime transport.

Another goal of the IAI is the increase in the proportion of rehabilitated lands for extracting bauxite and the reduction of fresh water consumption per ton of aluminum and alumina, even where the resources of fresh water are not limited.

The IAI model of the projections of material mass flow show that the emissions of greenhouse gases from the aluminum industry worldwide will be easily compensated by a combination of reduction measures, an increase in recycling and the use of aluminum in transportation by around 2020.