La desmaterialización de la economía mundial a debate. Consumo de recursos y crecimiento económico (1980-2008)
Palabras clave:
desmaterialización, consumo de recursos, crecimiento económico, metabolismo social, contabilidad del flujo de materialesResumen
En el debate de los límites del crecimiento, la idea de desmaterialización ha ocupado un lugar cada vez más importante. Este trabajo ofrece una revisión del concepto así como de sus principales aportaciones. Tomando la base de datos de SERI (2008) que ofrece información del consumo de recursos, se analizan diferentes indicadores de desmaterialización entre 1980 y 2008 para una muestra de 149 países. Los principales resultados apuntan que el mundo dibuja un proceso de caída en la intensidad material, agudizado en los países más ricos. Sin embargo, el crecimiento absoluto en el consumo de recursos sigue aumentando y, los que se han estabilizado, lo han hecho unas tasas muy elevadas. Proponemos una revisión crítica de las causas de tal proceso.
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