ABSTRACT
Saving energy is a major tool of climate policy, but few people realise that only around 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions come from direct use of energy in buildings and vehicles. The remaining 60 per cent is linked to our ever-growing consumption of material goods: construction of buildings, roads and other infrastructure; manufacture, distribution and disposal of the food, clothing,
• Material efficiency is just as important as energy efficiency for meeting climate targets: over half of all greenhouse gas emissions come from making material goods such as cars, houses, food, clothing and appliances, and these emissions are growing as material consumption increases.
