Although there is no Physical Short‐Term Scarcity of Phosphorus, its Resource Efficiency Should be Improved

Roland W. Scholz and Friedrich‐Wilhelm Wellmer

Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2019, vol. 23, issue 2, 313-318

Abstract: The German government has adopted a law that requires sewage plants to go beyond the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater and to promote recycling. We argue that there is no physical global short‐ or mid‐term phosphorus scarcity. However, we also argue that there are legitimate reasons for policies such as those of Germany, including: precaution as a way to ensure future generations’ long‐term supply security, promotion of technologies for closed‐loop economics in a promising stage of technology development, and decrease in the current supply risk with a new resource pool.

Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:inecol:v:23:y:2019:i:2:p:313-318

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