Global copper cycles and greenhouse gas emissions in a 1.5 °C world

Watari, T; Northey, S; Giurco, D; Hata, S; Yokoi, R; Nansai, K; Nakajima, K

Global copper cycles and greenhouse gas emissions in a 1.5 °C world

Watari, T Northey, S

Giurco, D

Hata, S Yokoi, R Nansai, K Nakajima, K

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Publisher:: ELSEVIER
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022, 179
Issue Date:: 2022-04-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Watari, T
dc.contributor.author	Northey, S https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9001-8842
dc.contributor.author	Giurco, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1707-9531
dc.contributor.author	Hata, S
dc.contributor.author	Yokoi, R
dc.contributor.author	Nansai, K
dc.contributor.author	Nakajima, K
dc.date.accessioned	2022-07-19T04:00:50Z
dc.date.available	2022-07-19T04:00:50Z
dc.date.issued	2022-04-01
dc.identifier.citation	Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022, 179
dc.identifier.issn	0921-3449
dc.identifier.issn	1879-0658
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/159021
dc.description.abstract	Moving towards a 1.5 °C world could fundamentally alter the future copper cycle through two key drivers: the implementation of decarbonization technologies and the imposition of an emissions budget on production activities. This study explores the impact of these drivers on the global copper cycle using a dynamic material flow analysis, coupled with an optimization technique. The results show that global final demand for copper could increase by a factor of 2.5 between 2015 and 2050, reaching 62 million metric tons, with approximately 4% of the increase coming from copper used in renewable energy-based power plants and 14% coming from electric vehicles. While there are sufficient resources to meet this growing demand, the greenhouse gas emissions of the copper cycle could account for approximately 2.7% of the total emissions budget by 2050, up from 0.3% today. Assessment of possible mitigation efforts by the copper industry shows that this can be halved, but will still be 35% short of the emissions budget target based on proportional responsibility, i.e., applying the same mitigation rate to all sectors. Rather, collective action is required by all stakeholders interacting with the copper cycle to bridge the mitigation gap, including through efforts to drive advanced sorting, higher fabrication yields, extended product lifetimes, and increased service efficiency of in-use copper stock.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	ELSEVIER
dc.relation.ispartof	Resources, Conservation and Recycling
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.106118
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
dc.subject	05 Environmental Sciences, 09 Engineering, 12 Built Environment and Design
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Sciences
dc.title	Global copper cycles and greenhouse gas emissions in a 1.5 °C world
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	179
utslib.for	05 Environmental Sciences
utslib.for	09 Engineering
utslib.for	12 Built Environment and Design
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - ISF - Institute for Sustainable Futures
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-07-19T04:00:49Z
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	179

Abstract:

Moving towards a 1.5 °C world could fundamentally alter the future copper cycle through two key drivers: the implementation of decarbonization technologies and the imposition of an emissions budget on production activities. This study explores the impact of these drivers on the global copper cycle using a dynamic material flow analysis, coupled with an optimization technique. The results show that global final demand for copper could increase by a factor of 2.5 between 2015 and 2050, reaching 62 million metric tons, with approximately 4% of the increase coming from copper used in renewable energy-based power plants and 14% coming from electric vehicles. While there are sufficient resources to meet this growing demand, the greenhouse gas emissions of the copper cycle could account for approximately 2.7% of the total emissions budget by 2050, up from 0.3% today. Assessment of possible mitigation efforts by the copper industry shows that this can be halved, but will still be 35% short of the emissions budget target based on proportional responsibility, i.e., applying the same mitigation rate to all sectors. Rather, collective action is required by all stakeholders interacting with the copper cycle to bridge the mitigation gap, including through efforts to drive advanced sorting, higher fabrication yields, extended product lifetimes, and increased service efficiency of in-use copper stock.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/159021