Context
Since the turn of the century, global extractives consumption has risen rapidly and, according to the International Resource Panel (IRP), will more than double by 2050 compared to 2015. This goes hand in hand with increased energy consumption, rising greenhouse gas emissions and harmful impact on vital ecosystems. Emerging economies such as Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa are now increasingly contributing to the consumption of resources, as production facilities have been increasingly relocated to these countries over the past decades.
Resource efficiency thus represents a financially attractive but so far under-utilized potential for greenhouse gas reduction in emerging countries. With the German Resource Efficiency Program (ProgRess), Germany was one of the first states to set goals and approaches for the protection of natural resources. Under the German G20 Presidency in 2017, the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue was launched to raise worldwide awareness of resource efficiency at international level together with major emerging economies.
Objective
Key stakeholders from the public and private sectors of various emerging economies, in particular from G20 member countries, are in a position to promote measures and strategies to increase resource efficiency and improve climate protection.
Approach
In close coordination with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the project supports the placement of resource efficiency and climate protection issues in international dialogue and cooperation processes, especially in the G20 context.
It promotes global knowledge and experience exchange with and between emerging economies by providing various networking and learning formats.
Information and training measures provide specialists and managers in Mexico, Argentina and Indonesia with application-oriented knowledge on the utilisation of resource efficiency potentials. These contribute to raising awareness and developing the skills of key players.
Interested emerging countries receive needs-based policy advice. This enables them to identify and tap into resource efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction potentials. An important focus in this context is to translate national climate protection contributions into actions and to increase future ambitions.
Results
Through the support of the BMU in the planning and implementation of international events, in particular within the scope of the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue, the topic of resource efficiency was highlighted in the international dialogue.
The globally accessible webinar on the circular economy with case studies from India and Indonesia reached over 150 participants. This was done in cooperation with the Green Growth Knowledge Platform. A four-day study trip for 25 key players from eleven emerging countries in November 2018 offered the opportunity for sharing knowledge and networking.
150 representatives from politics, business and science in Mexico, Argentina and Indonesia participated in information and training activities. In doing so, they acquired knowledge about the significance and use of resource efficiency potentials for climate protection. The events were sponsored by organizations including the German Environment Agency, the International Resource Panel (IRP) and the Association of German Engineers Centre for Resource Efficiency (VDI-ZRE).
Five sort dossiers in English provide key players with a quick introduction to the most important topics related to resource efficiency. Among other aspects, they describe the potential that digital transformation offers for resource efficiency and resource efficiency policies worldwide.