Some staggering statistics from the UN’s Resource Panel:

• The use of natural resources has more than tripled since 1970, and continues to grow.
• From 2000 to 2015, the climate change and health impacts from extraction and production of metals doubled.
• 90% of biodiversity loss and water stress are caused by resource extraction and processing.

Check out the UN’s excellent Global Resources Outlook document. The key point, though is a message of possibility and hope, provided industries get off their butts and embrace any actual change to their business operations! *

The decoupling of natural resource use and environmental impacts from economic activity and human well-being is an essential element in the transition to a sustainable future.

Achieving decoupling is possible and can deliver substantial social and environmental benefits, including repair of past environmental damage, while also supporting economic growth and human well-being.

*My commentary – not from the UN!