But then if all you’ve got is a hammer then everything looks like a nail. In their emergency report on the emergency that is emergency climate change they tell us that:
Ensure greater materials efficiency and circularity by 2025
• Substantially reduce the impact of basic materials,
e.g. steel, cement, aluminum and plastics, from a rate
of almost 20% of carbon emissions globally today, to
close to net zero.
• Promote innovation, material substitution, energy
efficiency, renewable energy supply and circular material
flows to more than halve GHG emissions.
The problem is that circular material flows can raise emissions, not reduce them. The costs of collection of what is to be recycled often being higher than the costs of making anew from virgin materials. This being why recycling often enough costs more of course.
But then the Club of Rome are the people who told us that by now we’d already have run out of everything, weren’t they? Which is why they are still trying to make sure that we recycle all.
Reminds me of the Steven Wright line, “I bought some secondhand paint the other day: it was in the shape of a house.”
How is innovation promoted?
Ensure greater materials efficiency and circularity by 2025
Sorry, the footie starts at 1930.
Someone should write a book.
I think the prediction was widespread starvation in the US by 1980, or something. Though it’s possible that was somebody else’s prediction. I really can’t be bothered listening to these people any more.