The world can maximise chances of avoiding dangerous climate change by moving to a circular economy, thereby allowing societies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Action.
This is the key finding of The Circularity Gap Report 2019, released by the organisation Circle Economy at Davos during the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
A circular economy is a regenerative system in which resource input and waste, emission, and energy leakage are minimized by slowing, closing, and narrowing energy and material loops. These can be achieved through long-lasting design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, refurbishing and recycling.
The report highlights the vast scope to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by applying circular principles – notably re-use, re-manufacturing and re-cycling – to key sectors such as the built environment. Yet it notes that most governments barely consider circular economy measures in policies aimed at meeting the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to as close as possible to 1.5°C.
The report by Circle Economy, a group supported by UN Environment and the Global Environment Facility, finds that the global economy is only 9% circular – just 9% of the 92.8 billion tonnes of minerals, fossil fuels, metals and biomass that enter the economy are re-used annually.
Climate change and material use are closely linked. Circle Economy calculates that 62% of global greenhouse gas emissions are released during the extraction, processing and manufacturing of goods to serve society’s needs; only 38% are emitted in the delivery and use of products and services.
Yet global use of materials is accelerating. It has more than tripled since 1970 and could double again by 2050 without action, according to the UN International Resource Panel.
The report calls on governments to take action to move from a linear “Take-Make-Waste” economy to a circular economy that maximises the use of existing assets while reducing dependence on new raw materials and minimising waste. It argues that innovation to extend the lifespan of existing resources will not only curb emissions but also reduce social inequality and foster low-carbon growth.
Read and download The Circularity Gap Report 2019.
Original source: UNFCCC
Published on 22 January 2019
