Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE)

Learn more about PACE's core purpose, how we work, our target audience, and our process here: https://lnkd.in/eXNJxUjb

THE SCIENCE IS CLEAR! We must reduce our material resource consumption to thrive in this material world. From the IRP: ‘The only choice is to stabilize and balance the human relationship with the rest of nature. Weak, partial, fragmented, or slow policies will not work. This can only be possible with far-reaching and truly systemic shifts in energy, food, mobility, and the built environment implemented at an unprecedented scale and speed. Leaders across all sectors, including government at all levels, business, and civil society must act now. We can make these changes, and improve human well-being around the world, but the window of opportunity is closing.’ A lack of sufficient, long-term investment in our essential provisioning systems and an over-focused approach to production-side interventions will not enable us to reach the hopeful projections outlined by the IRP. It is clearly stated that by 2060 we can decouple resource use from economic growth and human well-being while reducing our negative impact on the environment and improving the economic statuses of low-income countries. The messages from the Global Resources Outlook are clear and PACE is proud to support this flagship publication. It constitutes a vital resource in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. We urge you to share these messages with your networks and beyond to ensure this vital work spreads like wildfire. We urgently need to collaborate and act across sectoral boundaries to deliver a better world for our future generations. It can be done but we must act now! Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

We must avoid an over-emphasis on end-of-life solutions such as recycling or waste management, and in its place must tackle the large-scale provisioning systems upon which we depend. Right now, too many initiatives are responding to material use after the fact. This means we are over-focusing on supply-side (production) solutions at the expense of the more significant demand-side (consumption) measures. For example, rather than focus our efforts on making every car an electric vehicle we would be better off redesigning our mobility systems and urban transportation to reduce the demand for personal vehicles in the first place. Where we have produced too much plastic packaging or an overabundance of synthetic textiles, it would be better to invest in sustainable material resources and work with consumers, innovators, investors, and policymakers to shift behaviors away from supporting fast-fashion and disposable, single-use materials. To thrive in a material world must mean we use our finite resources responsibly, respectfully, and sustainably. From the IRP: By addressing the demand side, we are also addressing questions of global equity and sufficiency. For example, dietary changes reducing high-impact commodities including animal protein and food loss and waste can decrease the land needed for food by five percent by 2060 compared to 2020 levels while more equitably ensuring adequate nutrition for all. Reducing the need for mobility and enabling mobility through shared and active transport can reduce related material stock requirements (-50 percent), energy demands (-50 percent), and GHG emissions (-60 percent) by 2060 compared to current trends. Compact and balanced neighborhoods using more recycled building content, lifespan extension, and other circular economy measures can decrease building material stocks by 25 percent by 2060, which leads to a 30 percent decrease in energy demand and a 30 percent decrease in GHG emissions compared to current trends.’ Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

As the International Resource Panel (IRP) has rightly noted ‘Bold policy action is crucial to phase out harmful activities and encourage responsible and innovative ways to meet human needs. The prevailing approach of focusing almost exclusively on supply-side measures must be supplemented with a much stronger focus on demand-side measures.’ However, in isolation, Policy can only go so far. The systems transformation we need requires public/private collaboration, a flow of committed investment, and innovative solutions driving forward cross-sectoral change. No one solution is a silver bullet but taken together the IRP has demonstrated a clear suite of approaches that tackle our resource use issues from a deep-rooted systemic perspective. Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

By 2060 we could all be better off if we start implementing the IRP’s recommendations and work to bring together policy, investment, and innovation domains. From the International Resource Panel (IRP): ‘By 2060, it is possible to achieve a world with global GDP about 3 percent larger alongside a global Human Development Index 7 percent higher than could be expected by following historical trends. Compared to historical trends such measures could mitigate growth in material use by 30 percent. GHG emissions could be reduced by more than 80 percent from current levels by 2060, consistent with the Paris Agreement, along with absolute reductions in energy use, agricultural land area, and other pressures. Fully embracing this scenario is the obvious choice.’ Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

To successfully ensure a #sustainable future in which humans can thrive and resources are managed and distributed equitably we should no longer depend on material resource use for economic growth. We can continue to grow economies and improve well-being while using material resources more equitably. But how is this possible? The International Resource Panel (IRP) has emphasized the urgent need to begin the process of ‘#decoupling’ economic growth from the environmental impacts of resource use. In such a scenario the resources we use would be efficient meaning human well-being and economic growth increase while resource use and negative environmental impacts decrease. The Consequences of this can lead to a 3% increase in global economic growth by 2060 if the right levers are pulled. From the IRP: ‘Scenario modeling illustrates the potential to reduce and rebalance global per capita material use, with absolute reductions from around 2040 driven by reductions in high and upper middle-income nations that outweigh, in the aggregate, increases in low and lower-middle-income nations.’ Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

The World’s richest countries use 6x more materials per capita than low-income countries. These countries drive 10x more climate impacts per capita than low-income countries. This means that the richest countries are also the most accountable and have the most power, capacity, finance, and political impetus to act. From the International Resource Panel (IRP): ‘This inequality must be addressed as a core element of any global sustainability effort. The per capita material footprint of high-income countries, the highest of all income groups, has remained relatively constant since 2000. Upper middle-income countries have more than doubled their material footprint per capita approaching high-income levels, while their per capita impacts continue to be lower than high-income countries. Through global trade, high-income countries displace environmental impacts to all other income country groups. Per capita resource use and related environmental impacts in low-income countries has remained comparatively low and almost unchanged since 1995.’ Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

If we don’t change our material resource use habits now, we will greatly exceed the 1.5◦ limit causing irreversible biodiversity loss. The extraction and processing of biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and non-metallic minerals are responsible for 60% of global climate change impacts, 40% of air pollution health impacts, and over 90% of water stress and global land and water eutrophication-related biodiversity loss. These impacts are increasing and are only expected to grow rapidly over the coming decades. The International Resource Panel (IRP) has identified that the natural resources (biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores, non-metallic minerals, land, and water) should be targeted to human needs through the following provision systems: •Nutrition •Built environment •Mobility •Energy Connecting resources via these essential systems will ensure a sustainable and equitable management of resources to safeguard: •Adequate, nutritious food for all •Safe, secure, resource-efficient built environments •Sustainable mobility and access to essential services •Access to clean, safe energy Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

We extract, process, use, and waste too many material resources. This is unsustainable. From the International Resource Panel (IRP): ‘Extraction and processing of material resources (#fossil fuels, #minerals, non-metallic #minerals, and #biomass) account for over 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions (#GHG) and 40 percent of particulate matter health-related impacts. If land use change is considered, climate impacts grow to more than 60 percent, with biomass contributing the most (28 percent) followed by fossil fuels (18 percent) and then non-metallic minerals and metals (together 17 percent). Biomass (agricultural crops and forestry) also accounts for over 90 percent of the total land use-related biodiversity loss and water stress. All environmental impacts are on the rise.’ ‘The triple planetary crisis of #climatechange, nature loss, and pollution is driven by a crisis of unsustainable consumption and production. We must work with nature, instead of merely exploiting it,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “Reducing the resource intensity of mobility, housing, food, and energy systems is the only way we can achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and ultimately a just and liveable planet for all.’ Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld

The rate at which we use material resources such as #biomass, #FossilFuels, metal ores, and non-metallic #minerals is rapidly increasing. Since 1970 these resources have been consumed at an increasing rate of more than 2.3% per year. Extending this trend over the coming decades provides a sobering projection that could see our resource use up by 60% by 2060. While the rate of resource use has been increasing, the productivity of these resources has been stagnating making our resource consumption highly intensive and out of line with the ambitions set by the #SustainableDevelopmentGoals. From the International Resource Panel (IRP): ‘The built environment and mobility systems are the leading drivers of rising demand, followed by food and energy systems. Combined, these systems account for about 90 percent of global material demand. Material use is expected to increase to meet essential human needs for all in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without urgent and concerted action to change the way resources are used, material resource extraction could increase by almost 60 percent from 2020 levels by 2060, from 100 to 160 billion tonnes, far exceeding what is required to meet essential human needs for all in line with the SDGs.’ ‘We should not accept that meeting human needs must be resource intensive, and we must stop stimulating extraction-based economic success. With decisive action by politicians and the private sector, a decent life for all is possible without costing the earth,’ said the International Resource Panel’s Co-Chair, Janez Potočnik. Full report download: https://bit.ly/3JUXfwp Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3UQAcJu #GRO24 #UNEA6 #IRP #GlobalResourcesOutlook2024 #ResourceGoals #ThrivingInAMaterialWorld