Although the overall material demand of renewable based energy and mobility systems will be lower than those based on fossil fuels, the increasing demand for specialty mineral raw materials will be significantly rising. As those mostly come from outside Germany and the EU, their sustainable sourcing does not only relate to security of supply, but also to issues of social and environmental standards in exporting countries.
The decarbonisation conference "Decarbonisation and Resource Efficiency - 100% Renewable Energy and more" of the Federal Environment Agency will tackle the climate-energy-resource nexus. It aims at highlighting synergies and ways for minimising trade-offs between decarbonisation and dematerialisation policies.
Klaus Wiesen, researcher at the Wuppertal Institute, will discuss in the first panel "Resource footprint of a renewable energy system".