Global resource consumption to triple by 2050 – ‘Far beyond what is likely sustainable’
UNITED NATIONS, May 12 (AFP) — Global consumption of natural resources could almost triple to 140 billion tons a year by 2050 unless nations take drastic steps, the United Nations warned Thursday. A UN environment panel said the world cannot sustain the tearaway rate of use of minerals, ores and fossil and plant fuels. It called on governments to “decouple” economic growth from natural resource consumption. With the world population expected to hit 9.3 billion by 2050 and developing nations becoming more prosperous, the report warned “the prospect of much higher resource consumption levels is far beyond what is likely sustainable.” A UN Environment Programme (UNEP) panel said the world is already running out of cheap and quality sources of some essential materials such as oil, copper and gold, which in turn need rising volumes of fuel and water to produce. It said governments must find ways to do more with less, at a faster rate than economic growth — the notion of “decoupling”. “We must realize that prosperity and well-being do not depend on consuming ever-greater quantities of resources,” said the report. “Decoupling is not about stopping growth. It’s about doing more with less. Global resource consumption is exploding. It’s not a trend that is in any way sustainable.” Total world resource use has risen from about six billion tons in 1900 to 49 billion tons in 2000 and has already gone up to an estimated 59 billion tons now. …
