7 June 2014: Price increases, increased price volatility and disruption of environmental systems all stand to worsen from growing resource consumption under the current development model, warns the International Resource Panel (IRP) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The IRP’s findings appear in a report, titled ‘Decoupling 2: Technologies, Opportunities and Policy Options,’ which builds on a 2011 study showing that divorcing economic growth from resource consumption was possible in theory but absent in practice.

This follow-up report identifies opportunities to massively increase resource efficiency by scaling-up commercially available technologies in both developed and developing countries.

The Panel finds that market-signals alone will not lead to the needed improvements and offers policy responses that will confer a competitive economic advantage for fast-moving, resource-efficient countries. The report also outlines various technologies that could deliver upwards of 5 or even 10 fold increases in resource productivity, such as high-efficiency motors, higher strength steel and drip irrigation.

In order to implement these options, the report discusses conditions for enabling investment and overcoming “systems lock-in” of dominant political and economic structures, with a particular emphasis on leadership for breaking resistance to policy change. The conclusion synthesizes findings into a package of policy instruments designed to appeal to influential interest groups.

The launch of the report took place on 5 June, in Brussels, Belgium, during an event at Green Week 2014 featuring panelists from the IRP, the European Commission (EC), UNEP and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

UNEP established the IRP in 2007 to provide scientific knowledge towards decoupling economic growth and resource use from environmental degradation. [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Decoupling 2: Technologies, Opportunities and Policy Options] [Decoupling Event at Green Week 2014] [IISD RS Story on Decoupling 1]