The rising demand for natural resources to meet the consumption needs of an expanding (and more prosperous) population globally will exert enormous pressures on planetary boundaries. Due to the high density of population and higher than average per capita incomes, it is obvious that urban settlements are major centres of consumption (of goods and services) and, as a result, major generators of waste. The project explores how transformational thinking on resource management could lead to multiple scenarios in the context of emerging economies with a specific focus on India. We look at different ways of organising the search for solutions distinguishing between two different axes. The first axis is waste management versus resource management. The second axis is working with the informal sector versus working against the informal sector. The role of the informal sector is particularly critical for waste management in big cities of emerging economies. The project concentrates on identifying the drivers for the transformation from a waste management perspective to an inclusive resource management perspective in urban India.
Key contacts
