Carbon emissions at a record high
According to the UN Environment Programme’s Emissions Gap Report 2019, emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases reached a record high of 55.3 metric gigatons in 2018. Even if all countries adhered to their nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, we would still be heading for a 3.2°C rise in temperatures. To meet the goal of the planet warming by no more than 1.5°C, emissions will need to be cut by 7.6% every year between 2020 and 2030.1
Circular economy is still in its infancy
The significant impact of the manufacturing sector on the environment (CO2 emissions, energy and water consumption, and waste generation) is a source of frequent calls for a circular economy. Emissions from producing and reusing cement, steel, plastic, and aluminum, for example, could be cut by 40% by 2050 if the principles of the circular economy were adopted. In food production, emissions could be as much as halved by 2050, according to estimates by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.2 Back in 2016 the foundation hit the headlines when it forecast that there could be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050.3