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Title Sector-level estimates for global future copper demand and the potential for resource efficiency
ID_Doc 18547
Authors Klose, S; Pauliuk, S
Title Sector-level estimates for global future copper demand and the potential for resource efficiency
Year 2023
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2023.106941
Abstract We evaluate the effectiveness of resource efficiency strategies for copper by quantifying the effect of technological and behavioral changes on primary copper demand. We assess multi-product sector-level estimates based on service needs under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2 with Representative Concentration 2.6 W/m2 (SSP2-RCP2.6) in a baseline and eight different resource efficiency strategies. Our results show that final global copper demand will increase under the SSP2-RCP2.6 scenario from 24.3 Mt in 2015 to 44.4 Mt in 2050. Copper demand for vehicles and transportation infrastructure will quadruple. Improved scrap sorting and higher collection rates can decrease primary copper production (from copper ore) in 2050 by 2.3 and 2.2 Mt, respectively. The largest copper losses occur through hibernating stocks in the appliances sector. With ambitious material efficiency and demand-side sufficiency, it is possible to return to the primary copper production levels of 2020, despite growing service needs.
Author Keywords Industrial ecology; Resource efficiency; Copper; Environmental policy; Material flow analysis (MFA); societal metabolism
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:001001611200001
WoS Category Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences
Research Area Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
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