The Guardian has reported on an (as yet) unpublished UN report that projects the global extraction of raw materials to increase by 60% by 2060.
Some key bits:
The stripping of Earth’s natural materials is already responsible for 60% of global heating impacts, including land use change, 40% of air pollution impact, and more than 90% of global water stress and land-related biodiversity loss, says the report, due to be released in February.
[…]
The report prioritises equity and human wellbeing measurements over GDP growth alone and proposes action to reduce overall demand rather than simply increasing “green” production.
[…]
“systemic resource efficiency” could increase equity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80% by 2060, compared with current levels.
Given one of our main motivations for repair is to reduce the amount of raw materials we consume by keeping our everyday devices going for longer (and buying less new stuff), it’ll be really interesting to see the UN report when it’s published later this month.
Original article: