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- Title
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF METALS.
- Authors
Nath, Bhaskar; Stoyanov, Stoyan
- Abstract
Sustainable management of metals is in line with the authoritative definition of sustainable development (SD) given in the Brundtland Commission's report entitled Our Common Future. In that report SD is defined as a paradigm of economic development in which the present generation should satisfy its needs for natural/material resources without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In other words, SD must simultaneously satisfy the requirements of both intragenerational and intergenerational equity. In the particular context of metals, as in many other cases, sustainability has three distinct dimensions, namely the economic dimension, the social dimension and the ecological dimension, and these dimensions sometimes interact. Here the concept of sustainability is also compounded by resource depletion because earth's resources, such as ores from which ferrous and non-ferrous metals are extracted, are not inexhaustible. Unfortunately, currently sustainability deficit characterizes all three dimensions mentioned above. Indeed, while many of the problems thwarting achievement of sustainability are capable of solution, or at least significant alleviation, there are also problems and issues whose solution or alleviation is hampered by market forces or prevailing economic issues and/or problems. The on-going economic crisis, which began in earnest in 2007, is a typical example of the latter. This paper is concerned with the sustainable management of metals. However, as it is not possible to consider multiple metals in a paper such as this, we will only consider the generic case of steel. This should be acceptable considering that in so far as sustainability of metal production and processing is concerned, there are significant common technical features for most metals. The three dimensions of sustainability for steel, mentioned above, are described in some detail along with possible ways in which their deficiencies could be addressed at least in part. The economic crisis, which began in 2007 and its adverse impacts are also explored in some detail in order to establish their root causes and to seek ways in which those impacts could be avoided or minimized in future.
- Subjects
SUSTAINABLE development; METALS; WORLD Commission on Environment &; Development; ECONOMIC development; FINANCIAL crises
- Publication
Journal of Chemical Technology & Metallurgy, 2014, Vol 49, Issue 2, p170
- ISSN
1314-7471
- Publication type
Article