All Raw materials policy

Earth congestion day: Reasons for a raw material turnaround

Our hunger for raw materials is anything but sustainable, hardly anyone doubts that. The so-called Earth Congestion Day refers to the date by which humanity consumes so many natural resources and so much CO2 every year.₂ I wondered how ecologically acceptable it would be. The day is advancing further and further, in 2022 it was globally on 28 July. The German Earth Congestion Day was already on 4 May.

“Germany is one of the five largest consumers of raw materials in the world. However, virtually all extracted metals are mined abroad – often in countries of the Global South”, according to the introductory article to this dossier. Extraction of raw materials is often accompanied by human rights violations and environmental disasters. And those who protest against mining live dangerously: According to the non-governmental organization Global Witness, 200 land and environmental activists were killed worldwide last year, at least a quarter of them in connection with the raw materials problem.

These are just a few of the reasons for a raw material turnaround. Among other things, this would have to significantly reduce resource consumption. This also means changing our mobility, production and consumption patterns. Human rights and environmental standards need to be raised and implemented. This would also protect those affected in the mining areas and strengthen civil society.

The German Supply Chain Act, which imposes due diligence obligations on companies along their supply chain from 2023, gives hope for an improvement in the human rights situation. But the law has weaknesses. Civil society organisations are committed to improving the situation at EU level.

It is clear that the ecological transformation of energy and mobility also requires large quantities of raw materials. Many states and companies want to win these soon on the seabed. But this would cause irreparable damage to maritime ecosystems, as Maureen Penjueli points out in her article on deep-sea mining. It cannot therefore be a question of continuing individual transport without fossil fuels, for example, but on the basis of other raw materials.

One way out would be a circular economy in which the raw materials used are recycled instead of ending up in the trash. Above all, the urban centers are in the duty. This is because they "are globally responsible for up to 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and raw material consumption", writes Julius Neu in his text about the Zero Waste Strategy in Berlin. "Not only the fight against the climate crisis, but also for the raw materials transition is therefore to a large extent won or lost in cities."

In this struggle, political pressure is needed to take the necessary steps.