Make – Use – Reuse: Copper’s Role in the Circular Economy

No one was saying it in so many words, but the report that the United Nations Global Compact and Russell Reynolds Associates released last year was aimed at nothing less than helping to save the world. Six years ago, leaders from 193 nations at an historic UN summit adopted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) that involved everything from eradicating hunger to taking urgent action to overcome climate change. They were big, tough, imposing goals, with a deadline of 2030. With but nine years to go, the world remains far from meeting these objectives.

A report published on 26 August by an independent group of experts warns that reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is now “too little too late”, and will not achieve the long-term temperature goals identified in the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of the century. Drawing upon findings recently published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), the report from the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG) argues that current global emissions targets are inadequate and that net negative – rather than net zero – strategies are required.
The report, titled ‘The Final Warning Bell’ suggests that even if countries achieve net zero by mid-century, this will not tackle greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere, with CO2 equivalent concentrations potentially continuing to climb as high as 540ppm (parts per million). This means there is little to no room for manoeuvre, with only a 50% chance of holding the 1.5°C line.