Circular Economy - Why Resources Matter for Economic System Change

Natural resources are the basis of our economy and wellbeing – and at the same time one of the greatest challenges worldwide: the extraction and processing of raw materials cause about half of all global greenhouse gas emissions, 90 per cent of biodiversity loss and one third of air pollution from particulate matter.

In a deep dive based on the 2024 book Earth for All Germany, researchers from the Wuppertal Institute and the Club of Rome outline the dilemma of raw material dependency: Dr. Monika Dittrich, Head of the Circular Systems Research Unit at the Wuppertal Institute, Prof. Dr. Peter Hennicke, Senior Advisor at the Wuppertal Institute, and Till Kellerhoff, Program Director of the Club of Rome and Coordinator & National Engagement Lead of the Earth4All initiative, examine the growing geopolitical tensions related to raw materials, the corresponding environmental risks, as well as the economic costs of increasing resource extraction – and call for a fundamental rethink of how we deal with resources in order to enable a just, sustainable, and prosperous future for all.

With their deep dive "Circular Economy – Why Resources Matter for Economic System Change", the authors aim to shift the debate on resources away from short-term narratives of scarcity toward long-term structural change that promotes circular economy, resource conservation, and greater resource equity, both globally and within individual countries. On September 2, 2025, Earth4All will also host a webinar in which Dittrich and Hennicke will expand on their analysis and explain how our relationship with natural resources influences the path to a more equitable and sustainable economic system.

The deep dive "Circular Economy – Why Resources Matter for Economic System Change" can be downloaded free of charge via the link below.