Paris (AFP) – Extraction of the Earth’s natural resources could soar 60% by 2060, jeopardizing climate change goals and economic prosperity, the United Nations said Friday, with dramatic increases in demand for energy, food, transportation and housing. I asked for change.
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According to the 2024 World Resources Outlook by the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Resources Panel, global material use has tripled due to massive expansions in infrastructure, energy demand and consumers (particularly in wealthy countries) over the past half century. did.
Hunger for natural resources, from food to fossil fuels, continues to increase by an average of 2.3% per year.
Analysis shows that people in rich countries drive most of that demand, using six times more materials and having 10 times more climate impact than people in low-income countries.
According to the report, the extraction and processing of vast amounts of resources accounts for more than 60% of global warming emissions, destroying ecosystems and negatively impacting human health.
Lead author Hans Bruyninx said that on the current trajectory, the world would far exceed the temperature limits set by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to limit global warming to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5 degrees Celsius.
“Resource use is increasing and the impact on the Earth system is too great to bear,” he told AFP, adding that unequal access to resources around the world was also “unbearable.” added.
But he acknowledged that natural resources are needed to “turn things around” to boost development in poor countries and supply the minerals and metals needed for the energy transition.
The report was agreed by countries at the United Nations climate change negotiations held in Dubai last year, and aims to triple the world’s renewable energy capacity over the next decade and “move away from polluting fossil fuels.” The company aims to
“Unprecedented scale and speed”
The report warns that without fundamental changes, exploitation of the Earth’s resources will continue, with computer modeling predicting an increase of almost 60 per cent from 2020 levels, from 100 billion tonnes to 160 billion tonnes by 2060. ing.
“The only option is to stabilize and balance the relationship between humans and the rest of nature,” the report says.
“Weak, partial, piecemeal or slow policies will not work. This will only happen with broad and truly systemic changes in energy, food, mobility and the built environment, carried out at unprecedented scale and speed. Is possible.”
The report found that policy changes focused on high-consuming countries could reduce projected growth in resource use by a third and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80%, while maintaining economic growth. He said it could improve health.
Recommended actions, especially in wealthy countries, include dietary changes that reduce food waste and intake of animal protein, more efficient transportation systems, and increased housing density using recycled building materials. included.
The report said developing countries, which need more resources to improve their lives, should focus on maximizing their benefits and minimizing their impacts on the environment and health.
The report also called for the environmental costs of resource extraction to be factored into products and incorporated into trade agreements.
“The economy is man-made and does not obey the laws of physics,” Bruyninx said.
“We’ve been moving in one direction, and we can use that same government capacity to move us in another direction.”
© 2024 AFP