The 12 sectors analysed are responsible for some 85% of emissions from industry and include aluminium, cement, chemical manufacturing, food manufacturing, forest products, iron and steel, motor vehicle manufacturing, petroleum refining, and shipbuilding. The report analyses each sector’s current energy consumption trends and the associated environmental impacts, specifically emissions of air pollutants and carbon dioxide. Under a business-as-usual scenario, energy consumption across many of these sectors will increase by 20% from 2004 levels by 2020, and carbon dioxide emissions will increase by 14%, the EPA says.
The report concludes with a general overview of the barriers to energy efficiency and use of clean fuel technologies, and offers some possible policy options for government to help address these barriers.
The EPA says each sector could improve environmental performance by becoming more energy efficient or by using clean fuel technologies, combined heat and power
or retrofitting or replacing older equipment.
The 2007 sector strategies energy report is available at: www.epa.gov/sectors/energy/index.html
