Circular Economy
The future is circular
A major part of our effort to reverse climate change will be the reduction of waste of all kinds. Why? Because waste leads to the emission of greenhouse gases and other kinds of damage to the environment and human health.
Ideally, all our garbage should be remanufactured into new products. Below we discuss some of the waste problems our society faces, and our efforts to solve them with the technology companies we support.
(Image Source: https://sisu.ut.ee/sites/default/files/waste/files/product-life-cycle.png)
Plastic is passé
Today’s society needs a better approach to dealing with all the solid residues that result from the packaging we discard. Every day, we contribute tons of plastic waste which piles up alongside municipal solid waste (MSW) in our landfills and oceans.
Though recycling can disintegrate some plastic waste, that doesn’t eliminate plastic’s harm from the planet. But new technologies can use algae, fungi and other natural materials to create biogenic, biodegradable alternatives to plastic that reduce waste without the release of harmful chemicals. (See the Round Table on Sustainable Biomaterials for more information.)
Use it, don’t lose it
Beyond moving to biogenic packaging, there must be a social commitment to a Circular Economy, repurposing any wastes possible that are generated from different industries. Some viable solutions today are making cement out of algae, low-carbon cement, and embedding CO2 into the concrete, sealing it away from the atmosphere. We must develop ways to recycle minerals –like lithium used in batteries– rather than destroying our forests and oceans by mining these minerals, only to have them wind up in landfills after one use.
(Image Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/files/Articles/576462/fenrg-08-576462-HTML-r3/image_m/fenrg-08-576462-g001.jpg)
(Image Source: https://cdn.outdoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/06161516/carbon-sequestration-01.jpg)
Adopt a carbon conscience
However, without adopting far-ranging, multi-national policies to govern greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and waste production, companies won’t be prone to invest in sustainable solutions or address their pollution. One way to start would be to regulate the carbon market. This would incentivize companies to invest in cleaner industry and supply chains.
In addition, new companies could benefit from these low carbon economies by connecting carbon credits, buyers, and suppliers, as Puro.Earth has done.
Visit other pages in this Climate Change Solutions section to learn more:
Climate Solutions Home | Global Work on Climate | Circular Economy | AofV Climate Strategy | Technologies AofV Supports
