GC: n

CT: Reducing waste and reusing resources could help drive the UK’s economic recovery as well as benefit the environment, a conference was told on Tuesday.
The chief executive of the government’s waste advisory body, Wrap, told senior business leaders, policymakers and local authority managers that efficient use of resources is critical to the UK’s future economic competitiveness and resilience.

S: GUAR – http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/06/resource-economic-recovery (last access: 9 December 2014)

N: 1. efficient (adj): late 14c., “making, producing immediate effect, active, effective,” from Old French efficient and directly from Latin efficientem (nominative efficiens) “effective, efficient, producing, active,” present participle of efficere “work out, accomplish”. Meaning “productive, skilled” is from 1787. Related: Efficiently.
use (n): c.1200, “act of employing,” from Anglo-French and Old French us “custom, practice, usage,” from Latin usus “use, custom, practice, employment, skill, habit,” from past participle stem of uti). Resource (n): 1610s, “means of supplying a want or deficiency,” from French resourse “a source, spring,” noun use of fem. past participle of Old French resourdre “to rally, raise again,” from Latin resurgere “rise again”. Resources “a country’s wealth” first recorded 1779.
2. Demand for raw materials continues to increase with population growth, economic prosperity and globalisation; it is expected to grow fourfold in the coming 40 years. Without international agreements, global commons are under serious threat.
With increasing global pressure on natural resources, current patterns of resource use are not an option. Solutions such as recycling and more efficient use of resources only go part of the way in curbing the growing demand for raw materials. Changes will need to be made in production and consumption patterns, and technological breakthroughs are needed to enable this.

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=efficient&searchmode=none (last access: 9 December 2014); http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=use&searchmode=none (last access: 9 December 2014); http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=resource&searchmode=none (last access: 9 December 2014). 2. http://www.government.nl/issues/environment/resource-efficiency (last access: 10 December 2014).

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CR: environment, hybrid car.