February 17 th 2019 – According to the\u00a0UN-aligned group International Resource Panel, the global use of materials has more than tripled since 1970 and could double again by 2050. This has major implications for climate change and climate action.<\/p>\n
62 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions \u2014 excluding those from land use and forestry \u2014 are released during the extraction, processing and manufacturing of goods to serve society\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
A central part of the solution to climate change therefore lies in the so-called “circular economy” – a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing energy and material loops.<\/p>\n
In her second address students at the Bauhaus-University in\u00a0Weimar on 6 February 2019, the UN’s top climate change official Patricia Espinosa spoke about the “\u201cCircular Economy as A Path Towards Sustainability\u201d.<\/p>\n
Read her full lecture here:<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n It is a pleasure to return to Bauhaus University and continue this lecture series.<\/p>\n The last time I was here, I spoke about the underpinnings of the climate change regime, the urgency of our situation, what the global community is doing about it, and your role in all of this.<\/p>\n I made the point that in addition to our current challenges related to climate change, the next few decades will also see a significant rise in the global population.<\/p>\n Emerging economies are already building infrastructure to deal with this rise, while more developed economies must replace infrastructure built decades ago.<\/p>\n This puts us in a tough spot: we know how we\u2019ve always built that infrastructure\u2014how we\u2019ve always used materials in general\u2014has a negative impact on the environment.<\/p>\n But unless we\u2019d like to see an utter collapse in the global economy, we can\u2019t snap our fingers and stop building or producing things.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear we must find more efficient ways to design, build, and maintain our buildings and our infrastructure.<\/p>\n One of the biggest changes we need\u2014especially in developed countries\u2014is an\u00a0attitude change<\/em><\/i>.<\/p>\n I\u2019m specifically referring to the use and dispose society we\u2019ve become. In our homes\u00a0and<\/em><\/i>\u00a0our businesses.<\/p>\n When we discuss climate change, and reducing emissions, we tend to focus on the end product.<\/p>\n But, as I discussed with students during my last visit, this is surface-green only. From design to supply chain to final product, the entire system must be thought out more carefully.<\/p>\n Today, I\u2019m here to talk about an idea that will help get us there.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a new or revolutionary idea, nor\u2014unfortunately\u2014does it receive much attention by governments or business.<\/p>\n But it\u00a0can<\/em><\/i>\u00a0be part of the positive tipping point when it comes to addressing climate change and building a more sustainable future.<\/p>\n It\u2019s something that each of you can begin adopting today and incorporate into your professional work.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s the idea of the circular economy.\u00a0Circular economy<\/em><\/i>: it sounds like a catch-phrase that a group of global economists put together. But what does it mean, and how does it really work?<\/p>\n Let me share a story with you. It\u2019s the story of an entrepreneur. He heads up a small company in France. After some intensive market research he\u2019s identified a lucrative opportunity.<\/p>\n He\u2019s discovered that there\u2019s a particular kind of metal that people in his community are simply throwing away after they use it.<\/p>\n This metal isn\u2019t worth very much. But if you put enough of it together and melt it down\u2014if you\u00a0re-purpose<\/em><\/i>\u00a0it\u2014well, you can make a handsome profit.<\/p>\n This man doesn\u2019t have a business degree, but he knows\u00a0people<\/em><\/i>. And his interviews with prospective buyers tells him that if he acts quickly, he\u2019ll establish a clear competitive advantage and capture a significant market share.<\/p>\n But he runs into a challenge. The only place that can melt down or re-purpose this kind of metal is in England.<\/p>\n Remember, he\u2019s in France\u2014he\u2019s got to cross the channel. Flying it over isn\u2019t an option. He\u2019s got a supply chain problem.<\/p>\n But his research tells him it\u2019s still worth it. He takes a chance. He secures a boat, a crew, loads up the metal and sets out.<\/p>\n He almost gets there. As he approaches the looming white cliffs of Dover near Kent, he runs into a problem\u2014a very big problem.<\/p>\n Subsequent investigations have not precisely identified what exactly happened, but just off the coast, the man\u2019s boat sinks, along with the metal.<\/p>\n Yes, this story has a bad ending. But it\u2019s a story that has a different message for us\u2014something that directly relates to our subject.<\/p>\n Because what I\u2019ve\u00a0not\u00a0<\/em><\/i>told you is that our intrepid recycler, this pioneer of the circular economy, as we call it now\u2026 died approximately 3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s difficult to know precisely, studies show he was bringing old bronze \u2013 in the form of winged axes and spear heads\u2014over to Dover to recycle into something new.<\/p>\n He wasn\u2019t the only one. In fact, it\u2019s widely accepted that recycling\u2014at least a form of it\u2014began as far back as the Bronze Age.<\/p>\n In any case, our man recognized that not only was throwing out that old bronze wasteful, it was a missed economic opportunity. And while he wasn\u2019t ultimately successful, we\u00a0can<\/em><\/i>\u00a0be.<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen, I\u2019m not here to ask you to start collecting bronze, I\u2019m here to tell you that the idea of the circular economy is an idea that is almost as old as our existence on this planet.<\/p>\n It\u2019s simply common sense. And it\u2019s a solution hiding in broad daylight.<\/p>\n I began this story by asking you\u2026what is the circular economy?<\/p>\n Three words: re-use, re-manufacturing and re-cycling.<\/p>\n Developed economies, especially when times are good, love to simply throw away what they don\u2019t use.<\/p>\n They tend not to build with the future in mind. Designing buildings that are sustainable for the future?\u00a0What for<\/em><\/i>? Just tear them down and build new ones.<\/p>\n We do the same with old computers, old clothes, old sports equipment, old food, and\u00a0especially<\/em><\/i>\u00a0old appliances.<\/p>\n Each year we dump more than 2.12 billion tonnes of waste. Let\u2019s put that into perspective. If all this waste was put on trucks, they\u2019d go around the world\u00a0<\/strong><\/b>24 times.<\/p>\n Most isn\u2019t even old\u2026much of the stuff we throw out\u00a0is still new<\/em><\/i>. In fact, 99 percent of the things we buy is trashed within six months.<\/p>\n Think of clothes alone. I was listening to the BBC the other day and they were interviewing someone who said that the average person keeps clothes for about five weeks. Where do those clothes go? Most go right to the landfill.<\/p>\n All this comes at a tremendous negative cost to the environment and is a major factor when it comes to climate change.<\/p>\n If we don\u2019t take the opportunity now to re-use things and build systems in a more sustainable resilient way, forget about reaching a 1.5C climate goal, we will head in the opposite direction, and fast.<\/p>\n And if that happens? As we\u2019ve seen, extreme weather has a way of sinking lives, economies and opportunities.<\/p>\n Current Situation<\/p>\n That\u2019s not the outcome we want or desire.<\/p>\n But if we\u2019re to ultimately accept and adopt the idea of a circular economy, I believe we need to dig deeper into practical applications and establish where the world currently stands on it.<\/p>\n After all, if it\u2019s such an old, common sense idea, we must have made significant progress after 3,000 years, right?<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen, I want to share with you some key findings of something called\u00a0The Circularity Gap Report 2019.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n It\u2019s an important report and one I\u2019ll reference frequently today.<\/p>\n It was released a few weeks ago by an organization called Circle Economy at Davos during the World Economic Forum.<\/p>\n They describe the circular economy this way:<\/p>\n A regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing energy and material loops.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n And they say the circular economy can be best achieved:\u2026through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing and recycling.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n Recycling, repair, re-using old materials\u2026again, we\u2019ve established that this is simply common sense and an old idea.<\/p>\n But consider this. That same report notes that most governments\u00a0almost never consider circular economy measures in policies aimed at meeting the Paris Agreement targets.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n In fact, it finds the global economy is only 9 per cent circular.<\/p>\n Further, only 9 per cent of the 92.8 billion tonnes of minerals, fossil fuels, metals and biomass that enter the economy annually are re-used.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be frank\u2014that\u2019s an embarrassing amount<\/em><\/i>.And as we\u2019ve established, demand for materials won\u2019t go down in the future\u2014it\u2019s going to rise significantly .<\/p>\n According to a UN-aligned group called the International Resource Panel, the global use of materials has more than tripled since 1970 and could double again by 2050. This, of course, is in line with the population growth we discussed earlier.<\/p>\n We can and must do better. And that means seeing a bigger picture. Earlier, I told you that we focus a lot on the end product when we talk about emissions.<\/p>\n But this report calculates that 62 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions\u2014excluding those from land use and forestry\u2014are released during the extraction, processing and manufacturing of goods to serve society\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n And only 38 percent are emitted in the delivery and use of products and services.<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear we need a systemic change. So, let\u2019s talk solutions. Let\u2019s begin at the global level.<\/p>\n Governments must reconsider their climate change strategies with the circular economy in mind.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s crucial to focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency and avoiding deforestation, we must also consider the vast potential of the circular economy.<\/p>\n The CEO of Circle Economy, Harald Friedl, said it best:<\/p>\n They should re-engineer supply chains all the way back to the wells, fields, mines and quarries where our resources originate so that we consume fewer raw materials. This will not only reduce emissions but also boost growth by making economies more efficient.\u201d<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n I completely agree. And nations must do this urgently and have this reflected in their national climate plans.<\/p>\n This adoption of the circular economy doesn\u2019t stop with governments\u2014businesses have a major role to play.<\/p>\n While adopting more efficient business practices is beneficial to their bottom line, businesses need to consider the wide-ranging impacts of their operations on the climate as a whole.<\/p>\n Many industries understand this. The fashion industry, for example, recognizes it has an incredible impact on the environment and emissions in general.<\/p>\n But they, as recently as COP24, have made a commitment to reduce their emissions and to look more closely at circular economy practices.<\/p>\n Some of the world\u2019s biggest companies are doing the same. Apple has taken the step to power 100 per cent of its facilities worldwide with renewable energy.<\/p>\n I also recently spoke with a representative from the company who told me about a robot they call Daisy. This robot has one job: to reclaim and recycle valuable materials stored on an Iphone.<\/p>\n For example, the robot can recover rare earths, tungsten, and aluminum alloys. They can then use these materials to make new products or return them to the market. The company says this reduces the need to mine more resources from the earth.<\/p>\n Another global company, IKEA, is not only working towards 100 per cent renewable energy\u2014producing as much energy as they consume\u2014they\u2019ve announced they will source all of their wood from more sustainable sources by 2020.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve also made commitments that add up to $1 billion for climate action.<\/p>\n To be clear,\u00a0I\u2019m not an advocate for any business<\/em><\/i>. Some businesses have other issues that they must address. I\u2019m strictly referring to work they\u2019re doing to lower emissions and\/or We need governments and businesses to take action, but we need all of you as well.<\/p>\n You are an integral part of whether or not circular economy approaches are ultimately accepted and used.<\/p>\n I know I\u2019ve mentioned a lot of numbers here today, but here are two more\u2026I think they\u2019re important.<\/p>\n Currently, economies in what we call the developed world account for one fifth of global emissions.<\/p>\n And nearly half of all the materials going into the economies of developing countries\u2014specifically, 42.4 billion tonnes a year\u2014are used in the construction and maintenance of houses, offices, roads and infrastructure.<\/p>\n Imagine if you could make those numbers work differently.<\/p>\n Imagine the result if you helped adopt building practices which minimize the use of raw materials and thus reduce emissions.<\/p>\n Imagine the result if you could help do more with our existing infrastructure instead of simply tearing it down every decade.<\/p>\n Imagine replacing traditional building methods with state-of-the-art practices that won\u2019t lock in high emissions for decades to come.<\/p>\n Imagine designing and building not just a few homes and buildings, but entire cities.<\/p>\n Imagine what that will do for resource efficiency.<\/p>\n Imagine what that will do with respect to emissions.<\/p>\n Imagine what that will mean for the climate.<\/p>\n Imagine what that will mean for a more sustainable future and that this is the future you can build.\u00a0Each one of you.<\/em><\/i><\/p>\n Let me repeat what I said last week:\u00a0you<\/em><\/i>\u00a0are the ones who will be the next ones to run our cities, design our cities, and live and raise families in those cities. You have a clear and undeniable interest in making all of this happen.<\/p>\n I want to end by sharing something else from that report I\u2019ve quoted from widely here today. It\u2019s also about solutions.<\/p>\n With respect to strategies towards implementing a circular economy, they offer three.<\/p>\n The first is optimizing the utility of products by maximizing their use and extending their lifetime.<\/p>\n The second is enhancing recycling and using waste as a resource.<\/p>\n Both of these are important. But here\u2019s the third:\u00a0Adopt circular design<\/em><\/i>, reducing material consumption and using lower-carbon alternatives.<\/p>\n For example, they note that bamboo, wood and other natural materials have the potential to reduce dependence on carbon-intensive materials such as cement and metals in construction.<\/p>\n Instead of emitting carbon, these materials store it and will last for decades. They can be burnt to generate energy at the end of their life.<\/p>\n Ladies and gentlemen, you are design specialists. And you are specialists in the fields of architecture, economics, the arts and a wide variety of other subjects.<\/p>\n By not only accepting the circular economy, but adopting it, you have the potential to change so much, beginning today.<\/p>\n Beginning today means beginning to think about how the circular economy can not only work in your personal lives, but your professional lives as well.<\/p>\n Begin considering design, architecture, systems \u2013 anything \u2013 with the circular economy in mind.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s not forget one basic thing: it\u2019s not just about ending waste and reducing emissions, it\u2019s about capturing opportunities. And you are in a unique point in history to capture those opportunities.<\/p>\n By capturing these opportunities, by making the changes we need, we will continue the idea that started thousands of years ago.<\/p>\n Only this time, we will complete the journey. We must. We have everything to gain if we do\u2026and so much to lose if we don\u2019t. Thank you.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The UN’s top climate change official Patricia Espinosa spoke about the “\u201cCircular Economy as A Path Towards Sustainability\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[90,43,66,5,12,44,29,89,17,7],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1860"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1864,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860\/revisions\/1864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.genesisarg.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nre-purpose material.<\/p>\n