This study outlines the main concepts in the domain of the analysis of the environmental and economic consequences of resource use. The experts agreed on the need to keep clearly apart the basic principles of resource use, the methods to calculate and evaluate resource use and the measures to steer resource management. There is a need to distinguish between scarcity and equity issues and the environmental impacts associated with resource use. Although there is hardly any evidence that we are running out of non-renewable resources in the short to medium term, some participants underlined that in the long term shortages might become inevitable. On the question how this relates to the more traditional environmental policies and its evaluation through cost-benefit analysis, there was a broad agreement that there is no fundamental difference but that the correct valuation of externalities is a key issue on which opinions may differ.
Resource use entails different consequences depending on the nature of the resource considered.
Material quantities in terms of weight will be insufficient to determine the importance of the impact of resource use. Others were of the view that it is necessary to show the long-term limits of resource use in an easily understandable manner that allows communication to the broad public. The concepts of factor 4 and factor 10 are simple and visible instruments that can alert the broad public to the need to increase the resource efficiency of our society. There was an agreement that there is a need for differentiation and prioritization between various resources and their use since the impacts linked to some of them are worse than others. The question was raised how much such concepts should be underpinned by more detailed scientific analysis.