Resources Society and the Future

Book excerpt: Resources, Society and the Future is a report on resources and raw materials and their implications for the future of the Swedish society. This report aims to create a framework for a continuous dialogue in Sweden between the general public and their political representatives, the scientific world and interest groups of all kinds. Two debates in Sweden are considered, one of them centering on national interests, that is, Sweden's needs for industrial production and exports, and the other concerning long-term questions of human survival (environment, resource base, and questions of equity between industrialized and developing countries). This book is comprised of seven chapters and begins by outlining the motives for a futures study of resources and raw materials, followed by an explanation of what resources and raw materials mean, along with a general description of the volume of raw materials produced and consumed worldwide. Subsequent chapters focus on the global demand and supply of resources; energy and raw materials in Sweden; and aims and means of a raw materials policy. Instruments of a raw materials policy and measures to reduce the use of scarce raw materials and to increase the supply of raw materials are discussed, along with the relationship between the environment and the supply of raw materials. This monograph will be a valuable resource for policymakers concerned with energy and natural resources and their impact on society.