The use of material resources, fuelled by economic and population growth, urbanisation and societal changes, has increased more than ten times since 1900 and is set to double again by 2030. The annual global extraction of materials has increased from 27 to 92 billion tonnes since 1970, while the world’s population more than doubled, and global CO2 emissions rose by about 90 per cent.
As a result, pressure on natural resources, most of which are not renewable, continues to grow, bringing negative impacts in terms of pollution, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
The complex policy issues and difficult choices regarding the management, conservation, and use of natural resources necessitate a comprehensive approach that can address the many interactions and trade-offs inherent between the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
