The global
tug-of-war between Welsh steelworkers desperate to preserve their jobs and
their India-based employer gunning to decarbonize while protecting profits,
holds insights for others seeking a fair transition out of emissions-intensive
industry—including workers at Canadian steel mills on a similar trajectory.
Mid-January saw the ground shake beneath the
feet of thousands of steelworkers across the United Kingdom when their
employer, Mumbai-based Tata Steel, announced plans to shutter the two coal-powered
blast furnaces at its steelworks in Port Talbot, Wales, BBC News reports. Tata Steel plans to replace the blast ovens,
which make virgin steel, with a far more climate-friendly electric arc furnace
(EAF) that makes steel using recycled scrap. The EAF is expected to be up and
running by 2027.