El metabolismo social del País Vasco desde el análisis de flujos materiales.

Abstract

Decoupling the improvement of welfare from resource use and pollution is essential for achieving sustainable development. For that purpose is highly useful to know the metabolism of society. We must analyse the extent to which our societies “eat” raw materials, which are “metabolized” to produce goods and services, and “excrete” waste in the form of waste materials and pollution. Thus we get a systemic view of this social metabolism, analyzing the physical flows of natural resources from extraction to final disposal through the processes of production, use and recycling, and taking into account the losses along the way. Ultimately, it is a question of linking the consumption of natural resources with the environment's ability to supply resources and absorb waste. This article provides an overview of the physical base of Basque society, on the base of the Material Flow Analysis associated with its production and consumption activities. This shows the evolution of a series of indicators of material use, waste generation, external trade and stock accumulation that enables to analyses the path followed by the Basque Country toward (un)sustainability.