Natural resource use at national level in G20 countries

The International Resource Panel has produced new analysis that explores natural resource use at the national level in G20 countries.

The factsheets provide a snapshot of the status and trends of natural resource use in these countries, link resource use in key sectors to the impacts of climate change, as well as propose solutions for how each country can decouple its economy from natural resource use.

Background

This collection of factsheets from the International Resource Panel, was prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment of Japan and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, as a contribution to the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue 2019 in Japan. The documents are based on research completed by the IRP for the report “Global Resources Outlook 2019: Natural Resources for the Future We Want".

Future trends and potential Decoupling

Scenarios developed by the IRP forecast an increase of GDP by more than a factor of 2 and a population growth of 30% until 2060.

If ambitious resource efficiency policies are introduced, USA could see an absolute decoupling of domestic material extraction and domestic material consumption from GDP until 2060.

Per-capita material-related environmental impacts have slightly decreased in the past two decades. However, material footprint and all environmental impacts per capita remain much higher than the G20 average. Resource efficiency strategies along the entire supply chain like phasing out outdated technologies, material efficient design, and clean energy could help decrease these impacts.

About the International Resource Panel

The International Resource Panel (IRP), a global scientific panel hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme, was created in 2007 to contribute to a better understanding of sustainable development from a natural resources perspective. It provides science-based policy options on how to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation while enhancing human well-being. With more than 20 scientific publications, the work of the Panel has shed light on growing environmental challenges related to natural resources, their socio-economic implications and potential new pathways towards their sustainable management.

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