| Title | How Circular Is the Global Economy? A Sociometabolic Analysis |
|---|---|
| ID_Doc | 16912 |
| Authors | Haas, W; Krausmann, F; Wiedenhofer, D; Heinz, M |
| Title | How Circular Is the Global Economy? A Sociometabolic Analysis |
| Year | 2016 |
| Published | |
| Abstract | The Circular Economy is an appealing strategy for sustainable development that is being promoted by industries and governments in several industrial and emerging economies, such as the European Union, Japan and China. This chapter uses a sociometabolic approach to assess how circular or linear global material flows are at the turn of the 21st century. Analysis of the global material flows shows that 58 Gt (gigatons) of materials are extracted, 28 Gt are for energetic use, 26 Gt are additions to stocks, 4 Gt are consumed within a year and 4 Gt are waste rock. Of these flows, 4 Gt are recycled, so together with the 58 Gt of extracted materials, the global economy processed 62 Gt of materials. Thus, for 7 % of the global economy's inputs, the material loop is closed. An exploration of the potentials and limitations of the Circular Economy reveals that strategies targeting the output side (end-of-pipe) are limited given the present proportions of flows, whereas a shift toward renewable energy, a significant reduction of societal stock growth and decisive eco-design are required to advance toward a Circular Economy. |
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