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Possible Target Corridor for Sustainable Use of Global Material Resources

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  • Stefan Bringezu

    (Wuppertal Institute, P.B. 100480, Wuppertal 42004, Germany
    Center for Environmental Systems Research, University of Kassel, Wilhelmshöher Allee 47, Kassel 34109, Germany)

Abstract

Many countries have started to develop policy programs for the sustainable use of natural resources. Indicators and targets can cover both a territorial and a life-cycle-wide global perspective. This article focuses on how a safe operating space for global material resource use can be outlined based on existing economy-wide material flow indicators. It reflects on issues such as scale and systems perspective, as the choice of indicators determines the target “valves” of the socio-industrial metabolism. It considers environmental pressures and social aspects of safe and fair resource use. Existing proposals for resource consumption targets are reviewed, partially revisited, and taken as a basis to outline potential target values for a safe operating space for the extraction and use of minerals and biomass by final consumption. A potential sustainability corridor is derived with the Total Material Consumption of abiotic resources ranging from 6 to 12 t/person, the Total Material Consumption of biotic resources not exceeding 2 t/person, and the Raw Material Consumption of used biotic and abiotic materials ranging from 3 to 6 t/person until 2050. For policy, a “10-2-5 target triplet” can provide orientation, when the three indicators are assigned values of 10, 2, and 5 t/person, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Bringezu, 2015. "Possible Target Corridor for Sustainable Use of Global Material Resources," Resources, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-30, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jresou:v:4:y:2015:i:1:p:25-54:d:45750
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael Lettenmeier & Christa Liedtke & Holger Rohn, 2014. "Eight Tons of Material Footprint—Suggestion for a Resource Cap for Household Consumption in Finland," Resources, MDPI, vol. 3(3), pages 1-28, July.
    2. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    3. Daly, Herman E., 1990. "Toward some operational principles of sustainable development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 1-6, April.
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    2. Chris McElroy & Daniel W. O'Neill, 2024. "The labour and resource use requirements of a good life for all," Papers 2411.06337, arXiv.org.
    3. Nada Bendahmane & Natacha Gondran & Jacques Chevalier, 2024. "Are Existing LCIA Methods Related to Mineral and Metal Resources Relevant for an AESA Approach Applied to the Building Sector? Case Study on the Construction of New Buildings in France," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-17, January.
    4. William E. Rees, 2023. "The human eco-predicament: Overshoot and the population conundrum," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 21(1), pages 21-39.

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