The world is using its natural resources at an ever-increasing rate. Worldwide, annual extraction of primary materials—biomass, fossil fuels, metal ores, and minerals—tripled between 1970 and 2010. People in the richest countries now consume up to 10 times more resources than those in the poorest nations.

Clearly, if the developing world is to enjoy a similar standard of living to those in the developed world, this can’t continue. We need to break the link between global economic development and primary resource consumption.

During the last week of July 2016, nations met in New York to discuss the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which aim to “promote prosperity while protecting the planet.”

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