Ernst U. von Weizsa cker's Books

Factor Four

Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use - A Report to the Club of Rome

By: Ernst U.von Weizsacker

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Factor Four

Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use - A Report to the Club of Rome

By: Ernst U.von Weizsacker

Since the industrial revolution, progress has meant an increase in labour productivity. Factor Four describes a new form of progress, resource productivity, a form which meets the overriding imperative for the future (sustainability). It shows how at least four times as much wealth can be extracted from the resources we use. As the authors put it, the book is about doing more with less, but this is not the same as doing less, doing worse or doing without. In 1972, the Club of Rome published Limits to Growth, which sent shock waves around the world by arguing that we were rapidly running out of essential resources. This Report to the Club of Rome offers a solution. It lies in using resources more efficiently, in ways which can already be achieved, not at a cost, but at a profit. The book contains a wealth of examples of revolutionizing productivity, in the use of energy; from hypercars to low-energy beef; materials, from sub-surface drip irrigation to electronic books, transport, video conferencing to CyberTran, and demonstrating how much more could be generated from much less today. It explains how markets can be organized and taxes re-based to eliminate perverse incentives and reward efficiency, so wealth can grow while consumption does not. The benefits are enormous: profits will increase, pollution and waste will decrease and the quality of life will improve. Moreover, the benefits will be shared: progress will no longer depend on making ever fewer people more productive. Instead, more people and fewer resources can be employed. While for many developing countries the efficiency revolution may offer the only realistic chance of prosperity within a reasonable time span. The practical promise held out in this book is huge, but the authors show how it is up to each of us, as well as to businesses and governments, to make it happen.

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Page Count

374

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Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134177615

ISBN 13

9781134177615

Factor Five

Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Improvements in Resource Productivity

By: Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker,Charlie Hargroves,Michael H. Smith,Cheryl Desha,Peter Stasinopoulos

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Factor Five

Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Improvements in Resource Productivity

By: Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacker,Charlie Hargroves,Michael H. Smith,Cheryl Desha,Peter Stasinopoulos

When first published in 1997, Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use by renowned economic and engineering experts Ernst von Weizsäcker, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins, transformed how economists, policy makers, engineers, entrepreneurs and business leaders thought about innovation and wealth creation. Through examples from a wide range of industrial sectors, the authors demonstrated how technical innovation could cut resource use in half while doubling wealth. Now twelve years on, with climate change at the top of the world agenda and the new economic giants of China and India needing ever more resources, there is a unique historic opportunity to scale up resources productivity and radically transform the global economy. And Factor Five is the book set to change all of this. Picking up where Factor Four left off, this new book examines the past 15 years of innovation in industry, technical innovation and policy. It shows how and where factor four gains have been made and how we can achieve greater factor five or 80%+ improvements in resource and energy productivity and how to roll them out on a global scale to retool our economic system, massively boost wealth for billions of people around the world and help solve the climate change crises. Spanning dozens of countries including China and India and examining innumerable cases of innovation in design, technology and policy, the authors leave no engineering and economic stone unturned in their quest for excellence. The book tackles sustainable development and climate change by providing in depth Factor 5 resource productivity studies of the following sectors: Buildings, Industry, Agriculture, Food and Hospitality, and Transportation. In its systematic approach to demonstrating how Factor 5 can be achieved, the book also provides an overview of energy/water nexus and energy/materials nexus efficiency opportunities across these sectors. Given that these sectors are responsible for virtually all energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions globally, this book is designed to guide everyone from individual households, businesses, industry sector groups to national governments in their efforts to achieve the IPCC recommended target of 80 per cent reductions to greenhouse gas emissions. It also looks at innovation in regulation to increase resource productivity, pricing, carbon trading, eco-taxation and permits and the role of international institutions and trade. The authors also explain exciting new concepts such as bio-mimicry and whole system design, as hallmarks for a new generation of technologies. The last part of the book explores transformative ideas such as a long term trajectory of gently rising energy and resource prices, and new concepts of well-being in a more equitable world. Like its predecessor this book is simply the most important work on the future of innovation, business, economics and policy and is top drawer reading for leaders across all sectors including business and industry, government, engineering and design and teaching. This book is full colour throughout. Published with The Natural Edge Project

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Page Count

432

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1136545794

ISBN 13

9781136545795

Factor Four

Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use - A Report to the Club of Rome

By: Ernst U.von Weizsacker

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Factor Four

Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use - A Report to the Club of Rome

By: Ernst U.von Weizsacker

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N/A

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

353

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1134177542

ISBN 13

9781134177547

Book's by Ernst U. von Weizsa cker

Factor Four

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Factor Five

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