Fossil fuels, metal mining, agriculture, we continue to consume more resources than the planet can replenish each year.
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Human beings are increasingly greedy for natural resources. In 50 years, our consumption of materials taken from the planet has tripled. Oil, gas, forestry, extraction of rare metals, agriculture, not only have these withdrawals increased significantly in half a century globally, but they continue to grow by more than 2% per year.
The slowdown that occurred during the Covid crisis was therefore only temporary. Today, each human being now uses on average 13.2 tonnes of materials per year, according to the latest report from the United Nations international group of environmental experts, published Friday March 1. That’s 37 kg of resources per person per day.
Significant disparities
Four sectors account for 90% of the demand for materials: building construction, agriculture with food, transport, and finally energy. These sectors put us in the red and lead us to live on credit, beyond the resources that the planet can replenish each year. The extraction of these resources and their transformation are also responsible for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions. This overall growth actually hides big disparities. Rich countries use six times more resources and generate 10 times more climate impact than low-income countries.
The avenues put forward in the report, to become more resource-efficient, are above all to reduce the demand for food products that are greedy in agricultural space and with a high carbon footprint, notably with less meat and more plants. There is also the need to reduce food waste, optimize the use of existing real estate, and focus more on renovation or recycling. Scientific projections show that it is still possible to reverse the trend. But, without rapid and concerted action from different States, resource extraction could increase by 60% by 2060. This trajectory is incompatible with climate objectives and the preservation of biodiversity.