Scientists' warning against the society of waste
Marín-Beltrán, Isabel (Universidade do Algarve)
Demaria, Federico (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Ofelio, Claudia (University of Hamburg)
Serra, Luis M. (Universidad de Zaragoza. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica)
Turiel, Antonio (Institut de Ciències del Mar)
Ripple, William J. (Oregon State University. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society)
Mukul, Sharif A. (University of the Sunshine Coast)
Costa, Maria Clara (Universidade do Algarve)

Date:	2022
Description:	14 pàg.
Abstract:	The metabolism of contemporary industrialized societies, that is their energy and material flows, leads to the overconsumption and waste of natural resources, two factors often disregarded in the global ecological equation. In this Discussion article, we examine the amount of natural resources that is increasingly being consumed and wasted by humanity, and propose solutions to reverse this pattern. Since the beginning of the 20th century, societies, especially from industrialized countries, have been wasting resources in different ways. On one hand, the metabolism of industrial societies relies on non-renewable resources. On the other hand, yearly, we directly waste or mismanage around 78% of the total water withdrawn, 49% of the food produced, 31% of the energy produced, 85% of ores and 26% of non-metallic minerals extracted, respectively. As a consequence, natural resources are getting depleted and ecosystems polluted, leading to irreversible environmental changes, biological loss and social conflicts. To reduce the anthropogenic footprint in the planet, and live in harmony with other species and ourselves, we suggest to shift the current economic model based on infinite growth and reduce inequality between and within countries, following a degrowth strategy in industrialized countries. Public education to reduce superfluous consumption is also necessary. In addition, we propose a set of technological strategies to improve the management of natural resources towards circular economies that, like ecosystems, rely only upon renewable resources.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000928-S Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CEX2019-0940-M European Commission 695446 European Commission 947713
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Degrowth ; Environmental justice ; Natural resources ; Overconsumption ; Social metabolism ; Sustainability ; Waste ; Technology ; Ecosystem ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Natural Resources ; BIODIVERSITY ; MINERALS ; GLOBAL PATTERNS ; INEQUALITY ; CLIMATE-CHANGE ; TRAGEDY ; SYSTEMS ; PEAK ; IMPACTS ; KEY ; SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy ; SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities ; SDG 13 - Climate Action
Published in:	Science of the total environment, Vol. 811 (March 2022) , art. 151359, ISSN 1879-1026

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151359
PMID: 34742963

14 p, 1.4 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles