5.2 Throughput

In the present system, economic growth is the given priority for all nations. All demand a growing GDP and a steadily increasing throughput: the flow of matter and energy from the environment, through the economic subsystem (production and consumption) and back to the environment in the form of waste. This is called the “value-adding chain”.

The question is: “how big is the economy’s metabolic flow relative to the natural cycles that regenerate the economy’s resource depletion and absorb its waste emissions? What is the optimum scale relative to the ecosystem?

When the throughput passes the optimum, the growth becomes uneconomic, and more ills are accumulated than wealth. Uneconomic growth makes us poorer, not richer. Uneconomic growth is not necessary to fight poverty. On the contrary, it makes it harder to fight poverty (Jackson , p.xi).

The value-adding chain: An occurence of e.g. a mineral becomes a resource when adequate competence, insight, technology and capital to exploit the mineral is present. In the value-adding chain, the resource goes through several processes before it ends up as a product for sale. During these processes, there will often be emissions harmful to the environment, and production of waste. Eventually the product will become waste or garbage. We need to reduce the emissions and waste production and rather reuse or recycle. Graphic: Thomas Andersen, UIA

 

See video: The Circular Economy Strategy from the EU

• The “Circular” Economy – What it Is, and Why it Is Important
• Circular economy in Asia
• The 3 R’s of Waste Water Treatment | Electrometals
• Is product durability better for environment and for economicefficiency? A comparative assessment applying LCA and LCC to twoenergy-intensive product
• Growthism  1
• Growthism 2
• Circular economy: let’s give the floor to those that know
• 5 Reasons the World Wastes So Much Stuff (and Why It’s Not Just the Consumer’s Fault)

 

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Home
	Chapter 4	4 Ecosystems
	Chapter 5	5. Green economy
		5.1 Green economy games
		5.2 Throughput
		5.3 The eco economy
		5.4 Towards a green economy
	Chapter 6	6. Greener future?