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T1 Environmental Risks and Challenges of Anthropogenic Metals Flows and Cycles - Factsheet
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
A1 International Resource Panel, 
K1 metal
K1 recycling
K1 waste management
YR 2013
FD 2013
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/31490
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/31490
NO The unique properties of metals make them essential for many applications and future global demand is predicted to increase. Given this relevance the report of UNEP’s International Resource Panel on “Environmental Risks and Challenges of Anthropogenic Metals Flows and Cycles” focuses on the environmental impacts related to metals and means of reducing these impacts. It confirms that anthropogenic metal cycles can have orders of magnitude larger than natural metal cycles. Emissions to the environment, however, are roughly of the same order of magnitude as natural emissions. Nevertheless, the global primary production of metals shows a large share of the world’s energy use and causes severe local environmental impacts.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 17, 2026