Chapter 1 – Background: Materials, Energy and Sustainability

摘要: Sustainable development is a systems problem. Visionary individuals (Malthus, Rachel Carsons, Meadows) perceived both this and the risks it implies, but was not until 1980s that importance of thinking in holistic terms took hold. Since then numerous studies, most recently those International Panel on Climate Change, have highlighted potential problems for future inherent way we live at present. Materials are an important part system. Recent technological developments, particularly mobile communication, information processing, entertainment defence made them more so. We now dependent access to periodic table while ores from which some its members drawn plentiful, others scarce, often localised unsympathetic surroundings controlled by regimes may other plans them. And refining synthesising materials energy intensive – 21% all use used make materials. The global population increasing, affluence rising same time. With increased comes increase consumption, so, unless can find ways stop it, consumption will rise considerably faster than itself. The vision expressed Brundtland Commission report providing needs present without compromising ability generations meet their one almost everyone would accept. But consensus how achieve harder achieve.