Digesting fossil infrastructure for cleaner energy transitions

Digesting fossil infrastructure for cleaner energy transitions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Digesting fossil infrastructure for cleaner energy transitions Hauke Schlesier, Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez, Harald Desing This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6346491/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The climate crisis mandates building renewable energy infrastructure faster, which increases demand for primary materials with large environmental footprints. Recycling can mitigate such impacts, but its potential depends on waste availability. Here, we use life cycle assessment and monetization of impacts to explore the environmental implications of recycling fossil infrastructure that may become obsolete during the transition. Among many materials in fossil infrastructure, recycling steel is particularly noteworthy, as its stock (1.35 Gt) aligns with projected demand for the energy transition. Recycling steel could save up to 1.85 Gt CO2,eq emissions and $5.20 trillion in externality costs while remaining competitive with current production methods. It would also reduce the carbon footprint of wind and photovoltaic power by one third. These findings provide strong evidence for the benefits of repurposing fossil infrastructure and underscore the need for policies to expedite the transition while addressing socioeconomic and geopolitical issues. Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Sustainability Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Climate-change mitigation Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences/Environmental impact Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files supplementarymaterials.pdf Supplementary materials code.zip Calculation code and auxilliary files Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Mar, 2026 Read the published version in Nature Communications → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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