Figure 24.
Rebound effect in the metallurgical sector for the case of power generation. For significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from power generation a transition from conventional fossil-fired power plants to sustainable power generation technologies must be realized (particularly wind and solar). However, these latter technologies are much more material-intense than conventional fossil-fueled power plants. Since all the metals (and other materials) required for low-carbon power generation are produced by using the currently existing CO2-intense mining and production methods, the introduction of sustainable power generation will not lead to a reduction but instead to a temporary increase in greenhouse gas emissions.