“Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Latin America”

“Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Latin America”

Policy brief: Construction minerals

Compared with the situation in 1970, population growth has slowed in Latin America and average incomes have risen. Both trends should in theory be good news for the environment; a simple description of a theory called the “Environmental Kuznet´s Curve” is that as incomes rise above a certain point, many impacts on the environment will decrease. The report “Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Latin America”, launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific, Industrial and Research Organization (CSIRO), shows an opposite trend operating in Latin America. Currently, the region is extracting a greater volume of natural resources per unit of GDP than it did in 1970. The construction sector is of significant importance in Latin America, both for its direct and indirect contribution to the region’s economy and for its indirect role in meeting basic needs, through its contribution to infrastructure. Given the expected increase in the rate of urbanisation in Latin America (from around 80% today to around 90% in 2050), construction minerals will continue in importance, in order to meet housing and infrastructure needs. The report provides detailed analysis of material flows and resource productivity in ten countries of the region: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Although the rapid increases in population in the region that drove environmental pressures in the 1970s and 1980s have eased greatly, in recent years the main driver has been growth in per capita incomes and per capita consumption, as well as the growth in external demand. Per capita DMC ended the period over 30% higher than the rest of the world, at 13.6 tonnes per capita. The policy brief on Construction Minerals is available at  http://www.pnuma.org/deat1/pdf/Policy%20briefs%20-%20Material%20Flows/Ingles/Brief_construction_minerals%28in_web%29.pdf The findings of the report –available at http://www.pnuma.org/deat1/pdf/RecentTrendsMaterialFlows%28Final%29%2006jun2013.pdf- are based on a material flows database developed by CSIRO and covering the great majority of countries in Latin America, as well as additional countries in the Caribbean, using standard material flow accounting methodologies. The database can be accessed at: www.csiro.au/LatinAmericaCaribbeanResourceFlows. “Material Flows and Resource Productivity in Latin America” aims to encourage further research—and collection of official data by countries in the region—that will guide a continuing increase in living standards without an ever greater increase in extractive pressures and loss of natural capital. UNEP will publish thematic policy briefs on metallic ores and industrial minerals, construction minerals, biofuels and forest resources weekly, from 21 January 21. fuente: pnuma