Chapter 1. A New Perspective on a Global Circular Economy

Natural resource exploitation is accelerating in the face of resource decline, while at the same time people are generating ever growing quantities of wastes. Population and income growth drive up the demand for energy, materials and food. Four planetary boundaries that indicate a safe operating space for humankind may well have been crossed – climate change, land system change, biogeochemical loading and biosphere integrity – all directly linked to resource overexploitation. Resource exploitation has brought welfare to many people, but it is now infringing upon basic human rights such as clean water and a safe living environment. The management of resources needs to change radically from the linear take-make-use-dispose model to a more sustainable, circular model. This chapter introduces the global challenges within which an international movement towards a circular economy has emerged. It critically revisits views on circular economy and proposes a new model that recognises the complex nature of our resource flows. The Resource Recovery from Waste programme is introduced and an overview is provided of the contents of this book.