OREANDA-NEWS. UC RUSAL, the world’s largest producer of aluminum and alloys, announces today a new initiative entitled Paving The Way To A Safer World, which is comprised of measures to reduce harmful impact on the environment and minimize climate change risks.

According to the press service of the company, this initiative is part of UC RUSAL’s wider strategy to secure its dynamic development as an energy and metals corporation with the Company’s operations based on the principles of sustainable development.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in its most recent climate report that the major cause of observed rising trends in the Earth’s average temperatures is very likely increased concentrations of identified greenhouse gases in the atmosphere produced by human activity.
 
UC RUSAL understands the importance of climate change to future generations and has established two related goals:

To reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions by the company’s existing smelters by 50% overall by 2015. Achievement of this goal will allow UC RUSAL to continue developing its aluminium business and meet the demands of global consumers without compromising its goal of carbon neutrality;
To be carbon neutral over the long-term, as part of the full life-cycle use (and re-use) of our aluminium products. Improved unit energy efficiency at our operations will be the key element of the drive to carbon neutrality, supplemented by a broad offsets program.  

As a first step, and to advance the Company’s carbon reduction initiative, UC RUSAL and the United Nations Development Programme have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding a preparatory project designed to accelerate greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts among industrial companies.

The MOU was signed in Moscow on May 22, 2007. UC RUSAL is the first company in Russia to have joined UNDP in its effort to create a global network of projects driven by the single goal of addressing the challenge of climate change.

Marco Borsotti, Russia Coordinator for the United Nations Development Programme participated in the signing ceremony on behalf of the UN.