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Published VersionCC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Scientists' warning against the society of waste
Science of the Total Environment, Vol.811, pp.1-14
2022
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 On the other hand, yearly, we directly waste or mismanage around 78% of the total water withdrawn, 49% of the food produced, 31% of the energy produced, 85% of ores and 26% of non-metallic minerals extracted, respectively.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.
•We present a holistic analysis of anthropogenic waste production and its impacts.
•Each year humans waste more than 30% of most natural resources.
•Resource consumption is decoupled from population growth and unevenly distributed.
•Consequences of the Society of Waste include major environmental and social impacts.
•Degrowth and circular strategies are proposed to reduce the human footprint.
Details
- Title
- Scientists' warning against the society of waste
- Authors
- Isabel Marín-Beltrán (Corresponding Author) - University of AlgarveFederico Demaria (Author) - Universitat de BarcelonaClaudia Ofelio (Author) - University of HamburgLuis M Serra (Author) - Universidad de ZaragozaAntonio Turiel (Author) - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasWilliam J Ripple (Author) - Oregon State UniversitySharif A Mukul (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research CentreMaria Clara Costa (Author) - University of Algarve
- Publication details
- Science of the Total Environment, Vol.811, pp.1-14
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2022
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151359
- ISSN
- 1879-1026; 0048-9697
- Copyright note
- © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
- Organisation Unit
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99591308802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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