The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge

The document examines the systemic failure of natural resource governance since the 1972 Stockholm Declaration, noting that material demand per capita grew from 7.4 tons in 1970 to 12.2 tons in 2017. It highlights severe inequalities in resource distribution, where high-income countries have a per capita material footprint thirteen times larger than low-income countries. The brief argues that sustainable governance requires shifting from linear 'extract-use-discard' models to circular economies, strengthening tenure security for marginalized groups, and ensuring the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples. It specifically calls for extended producer responsibility and gender-responsive decision-making to protect ecological integrity and human rights.

• Global material demand has increased significantly over the last five decades, contributing to environmental degradation and higher greenhouse gas emissions. The International Resource Panel found that average material demand per capita rose from 7.4 tons in 1970 to 12.2 tons in 2017.
• There is a stark global imbalance in resource consumption and the distribution of associated impacts. High-income countries possess a per capita material footprint of 27 tons, compared to 2 tons in low-income countries, often outsourcing environmental and social harms to the countries where resources are extracted.
• Natural resource governance is hindered by conflicting international frameworks. For example, the Energy Charter Treaty has been used by corporations to challenge national decisions to phase out coal, even when those decisions align with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
• Women face systemic exclusion from resource governance and land ownership. An OECD analysis of 180 countries revealed that while 164 explicitly recognize women's rights to own and use land on par with men, only 52 guarantee these rights in both law and practice.
• Indigenous Peoples frequently face dispossession of their territories and a lack of recognition of their rights to self-determination. Legal disputes over customary resource use have occurred in Canada, Finland, and Sweden, while large infrastructure projects like hydraulic dams have led to the displacement of rural and Indigenous peoples.
• Achieving sustainable resource use requires a transition to circular economies and the implementation of extended producer responsibility. This involves moving from a linear 'extract-use-discard' model to a 'waste-as-a-resource' model to reduce extraction and incentivize better product design.

APA

Schröder,, J. B. (2021). The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/sustainable-use-natural-resources-governance-challenge

Chicago

Schröder,, Jennifer Bansard,Mika. The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/sustainable-use-natural-resources-governance-challenge.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schröder, |first1=Jennifer Bansard,Mika |title=The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=15 April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/sustainable-use-natural-resources-governance-challenge |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schrder2021sustainable, author = {Schröder,, Jennifer Bansard,Mika}, title = {{The Sustainable Use of Natural Resources: The Governance Challenge}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/deep-dive/sustainable-use-natural-resources-governance-challenge}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }