The Green transition is typically understood as a transition in the type of resources we use. Perhaps the most known “green” practices are switching from fossil to renewable energy sources and buying products made of recycled or bio-based, instead of virgin, materials. The underlying assumption is that environmental problems are caused because we are using the wrong type of resources and that if we switched to the right type, the problems would be solved and we could continue business-as-usual.
However, this is not the whole story. For example, the transition to renewable energy sources is not without consequences, which can be severe when left unchecked. Wind parks erected amidst forests and solar installations inadvertently contribute to environmental degradation. In addition, a reliable and growing supply of lithium, cobalt, copper and other critical raw materials will be needed to satisfy the increasing demand for solar panels, batteries, and other components. Apart from the fact that these materials are becoming scarcer every day, their extraction and processing at increasing rates cause severe environmental problems and burdens specific populations around the world.
The escalating demand for lithium has resulted in the forced displacement of indigenous communities in regions like Argentina and Chile, while the extraction practices have left behind environmental catastrophes, exemplified by the copper mines in Atacama Desert. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, cobalt extraction paints an even grimmer picture, with severe health issues, exploitative labor practices, and ongoing environmental degradation. Manufacturers of batteries and electronic devices, reliant on these minerals, often overlook the dire working conditions, extraction methods, and environmental impacts associated with their sourcing. And therefore the solution to the climate crisis seems to be impacting the most those societies that bear the brunt of its consequences in the first place.
In order to find a way out of this conundrum, it is important to understand that environmental problems are caused by the amount, and not by the type, of resources consumed and disposed. Of course, different resources have different maximum thresholds with respect to the quantities that can sustainably be consumed. But the problem is that these thresholds have been exceeded by far for some populations, while for others resource consumption is so low that not even basic needs are met. At the end of the day, a global economy that continues to increase both the consumption of resources and the inequality in their distribution, cannot be sustainable.
From this viewpoint, the Green transition for the most affluent populations of the world should be understood primarily as a reduction in the amount of resources consumed. It is the overconsumption of textiles, electronics, automobiles, food, real estate, fresh water, and other goods that drive resource use, causing climate change and other environmental problems in the process. It becomes clear that renewable energy, recycled materials and bio-based products are necessary but not sufficient strategies for the green transition since they do not even begin to address the problem of overconsumption.
It is thus essential that we prioritize strategies that reduce the amount of resources consumed (known as “material footprint”) and distribute these fairly across populations. These strategies include:
Re-evaluating our needs and reducing or refusing consumption of some products;
Repair, upgrade and generally extend the lifetime of the things we already have;
Share with others and generally use one item to satisfy the needs of many people;
Redistribute resources from those that have the most, to those that have the least;
Reuse or repurpose things that we do not anymore need or cannot continue using;