Ever-growing economic activities have continuously increased resource use and pollution far more rapidly than these have been reduced through scientific and technological advances and efficiencies.
The EU material resources consumption is currently around double the estimated sustainable level. If we continue on this path, by 2060 resource use will increase by 60%, further jeopardising environmental sustainability and human well-being.
Furthermore, ahead of its election, the EU currently aims to deregulate environmental harm threatening its economy in the longer term and going against its citizens will. Therefore, it is very high time that instead of environmental deregulation and soft efforts of climate transitions, the EU put genuine efforts towards the essential socio-economic transformation. One step towards this direction is the absolute and just limitation of materials resource use.
Greenformation joins with those organizations that are calling for the EU to set binding EU material footprint reduction targets to five tonnes per capita by 2050, which is needed to achieve the EU’s environmental and climate goals. Check out the open letter sent to EU-level decision-makers here.
