IN PREPARATION for a talk on environment for the Pampanga laity, I read again a few pages of the encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato si.’ The Pope was clearly aware of current environmental issues, including the concept of circular economy. I first saw this economic model from a seminar in PCCI and had a more thorough introduction during the trainor’s training organized by the Environmental Management Bureau.
This is how Pope Francis mentioned it in his encyclical in the topic on "Pollution and Climate Change": “It is hard for us to accept that the way natural ecosystems work is exemplary: plants synthesize nutrients which feed herbivores; these in turn become food for carnivores, which produce significant quantities of organic waste which give rise to new generations of plants. But our industrial system, at the end of its cycle of production and consumption, has not developed the capacity to absorb and reuse waste and by-products. We have not yet managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and future generations, while limiting as much as possible the use of non-renewable resources, moderating their consumption, maximizing their efficient use, reusing and recycling them,” (emphasis mine).
The principle of circular economy follows the natural flow of life. In nature, everything is recycled. Nothing is wasted. Nature operates in cycles: the nitrogen cycle, water cycle, carbon cycle and photosynthesis. They are self-sustaining processes. When living things die (humans included), they are reduced to dust and become part of nature again.
In contrast, we live in a throw-away society that piles up waste and depletes natural resources. Oil and other non-renewable resources are about to run out. Some say the current reserves are only good only for 30 years. Clean water is increasingly becoming scarce. Pollution, which is a result of our throw-away mentality, is poisoning our air, water and land.
Our present economic system is linear, not circular. We extract resources, process them, produce and use goods, and throw them away after the end of their useful life. It is a “take-make-dispose” model. This system has two flaws: it depletes natural resources on one end and creates waste on the other. It is not sustainable.
An example of this linear system is the production of plastic. Its raw material, oil, is a non-renewable resource. After plastic is used, it is thrown away and piles up as trash. It is not bio-degradable. It does not return to nature. In fact, it destroys it. It is taken up my marine animals and even by birds. When broken into tiny pieces, they become microplastics and contaminate our food and water.
For the benefit of the future generation, we need to embrace the concept of a circular economy. This economic system has now been recognized as the ideal and sustainable way to eliminate waste and allow the continual use of resources.