The road to Paris must be circular
The World Circular Economy Forum + Climate sends an important message to the next international climate negotiations. If we are to achieve the Paris climate goals, the world needs to transition to a circular economy. A circular economy could globally reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 20%, and should thus be an integral part of climate action, which is vital as the current climate plans that countries have submitted so far remain inadequate.
The WCEF+Climate draws attention to the importance of a circular economy in reaching the climate goals. Spanning 24+ hours on 15-16 April, this virtual summit will offer governments, international organisations, knowledge institutions, the private sector, experts and citizens the opportunity to hold discussions. The outcome of the conference will be an Action Statement containing the pledges for next steps of the participating countries, companies and organisations.
“If we want to tackle climate change, we need to look beyond energy efficiency and move towards a circular economy. For a healthy future we have to stop wasting our finite resources, reuse our valuable materials and turn them into new products. Together we can close the loop to a circular economy, a necessity for climate neutrality by 2050. It’s time for a major change,” says Minister for the Environment and host of WCEF+Climate, Stientje van Veldhoven.
A circular economy entails using raw materials and materials already in use more smartly and carefully, thus avoiding waste and pollution. This could be done by stimulating the sharing economy such as car sharing, as well as by the smart reuse of materials. Circularity goes far beyond just recycling waste. Changing the entire value chain as part of the transition to a circular economy will help bring about a sustainable economy and better living conditions. Innovation and collaboration are core to this transition.
“Overuse of natural resources is a major source of climate emissions. The circular economy provides us with a tool to tackle the climate crisis, to address the loss of biodiversity and to reduce our material consumption in an economically viable way,” says Jyrki Katainen, President of The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra who is co-hosting the conference.
The WCEF is a global initiative of Sitra and Finland, and the next annual forum will be held in Canada on 13-15 September this year.
Join us and reinforce your commitment to the transition to a circular economy at the WCEF+Climate!
In this eMagazine you find all the information you need about WCEF+Climate, and interesting reads on a circular economy to get you ready for the conference!