This paper, Global Resources Outlook 2019, presents the story of natural resources as they move through our economies and societies. It is a story of relentless demand and of unsustainable patterns of industrialization and development.
The international community has set ambitious goals for global prosperity and protecting the planet, including the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and environmental conventions such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Progress towards these ambitions is in our grasp – but a fundamental change in how natural resources are used around the world is necessary if these objectives are to be achieved. Natural resources are used to build infrastructure and drive economic progress, but they also have consequences in terms of negative impacts for the environment and human well-being.
Fundamental change is embodied in the principles of sustainable consumption and production, which address the entire life cycle of economic activities from the extraction of natural resources, through the production and use phase of products and goods, and finally to the disposal of resources. Harnessing this change will promote a sustainable transition to a world where economic development is pursued while negative impacts to the environment and humans are reduced in absolute terms (in other words, decoupling).
The summary for policymakers can be found here.
This report is an exploration of the role of international trade in increasing resource efficiency, reducing environmental impact and promoting equitable and inclusive growth. The value of international trade has increased over six-fold and its volume more than doubled between 1980 and 2010.
As global demand for material resources has increased dramatically in recent decades, rising international trade has become an essential means to overcome the constraints posed by local resource scarcity. While the contribution of international trade in fuelling economic expan
This report was produced by the Decoupling Working Group of the International Resource Panel.