The renewable energy transition, which is vital to tackle climate change, is only half the story. That transition would only address 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions, namely those that are related to the electricity and heating that is used in buildings, to our energy system more broadly, and to transport. The remaining 45% of emissions come from industry, agriculture and land use.
To eliminate these hard-to-abate emissions, we need to decouple economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. Transform every element of our take-make-waste system; how we manage resources, how we make and use products, and what we do with the materials afterwards. Only then will we be able to create a thriving circular economy that can benefit everyone within the limits of our planet.
Read more about the role of circular economy in tackling climate change on the website of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
