2013 Volume 17 Issue 1 Pages 39-46
Resource use and climate change are closely related, therefore resource management also needs to be discussed in terms of carbon management. The authors conducted a literature review to identify important aspects of resource management from the viewpoint of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. As for management of carbon- intensive materials such as steel, cement and paper, it would be impossible to reduce GHGs by significant amounts without lowering global levels of material consumption. However this option has not been explored in detail. Identifying reasons for differences in current material consumption in different countries is an important first step for exploring development in Asia that would be less resource-intense. At the same time, measures such as demand management, weight saving, substitution and lifetime extension need to be explored in more detail. As for management of minor metals associated with mitigation technologies, criticality analyses of metals show that rare earth elements are important to the penetration of mitigation technologies. Recycling, substitution and reduction of intensity of use need to be further investigated for these metals.
