Why we use more materials

In this paper, we review the drivers for the high levels of material use in society, investigating both historical and current trends. We present recent national and global data by different material categories and accounting schemes, showing the correlations between materials use and different meas...

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Published inPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences Vol. 375; no. 2095; pp. 1 - 16
Main Authors Gutowski, Timothy, Cooper, Daniel, Sahni, Sahil
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published THE ROYAL SOCIETY 13.06.2017
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Summary:In this paper, we review the drivers for the high levels of material use in society, investigating both historical and current trends. We present recent national and global data by different material categories and accounting schemes, showing the correlations between materials use and different measures of human well-being. We also present a development narrative to accompany these observed trends, focusing on the strong role materials have played in economic development by industrialization and in the consumer economy. Finally, we speculate on how material efficiency might alter this pattern going forward and whether it is possible to de-couple well-being from material use. This article is part of the themed issue 'Material demand reduction'
ISSN:1364-503X
1471-2962