The UN Environment Program’s (UNEP) International Resource Panel (IRP) has published the second edition of its Global Resources Outlook which argues that for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to succeed, better resource management is essential, and provides recommendations to “bend the trend” on material extraction and use. With resource use projected to go up 60% from 2020 levels by 2060, unsustainable levels of production and consumption could derail efforts to achieve much of the 2030 Agenda. According to Global Resources Outlook 2024, high-income countries use six times more materials and generate ten times more climate impacts than low-income countries. It uses scenario modeling to illustrate the possibility of reducing resource use while at the same time growing the economy, reducing inequality, improving well-being, and reducing environmental impacts in wealthy and poor countries alike. “We should not accept that meeting human needs must be resource intensive,” said IRP Co-Chair Janez Potočnik.

Source: News Business Ethiopia March 07, 2024 21:07 UTC