Issues - SCP, Industrial Development & Energy

3 Planets

The resource-intensive consumption and production patterns of the developed countries cannot be replicated worldwide because, as some calculations suggest, it would require the resources of three planets to sustain these patterns.

Sustainable consumption and production requires a fundamental rethinking of the way societies produce, use and dispose of products.

:: Global energy demand could double by 2050

Due to the combination of population growth and economic growth, global energy demand could double by 2050 if the existing technologies and consumption patterns persist.

For example, industries, including energy industries, consume up to 50% of total primary energy, and this consumption is forecast to grow at 2.4-3.2% per year through 2030 in developing countries and 1.2% in developed countries.

Thus there is an urgent need for de-linking industrial production from environmental degradation through, among other things, investment in energy efficient technologies.

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This paper deals with policies and market-based measures to address sustainability challenges in the industrial sectors, and considers the following issues:

  1. Cleaner, more energy-efficient and material-efficient industrial production
  2. Corporate environmental and social responsibility and accountability (CSR)
  3. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).