Industrial production must become more energy-and resource-efficient and must pollute less. This will require major investments and economic adjustments, which in turn require political commitment to change. As each year goes by we become more aware of the real costs of resources and pollution, and these costs are now beginning to be taken into account in some countries, for example by imposing ‘environmental taxes’ on carbon-based energy sources and collecting fees from polluting industry. Industrial licensing and pollution control have also become stricter in some countries, but much remains to be done.
Many environmentalists feel that more deepgoing changes in production systems are necessary. If wasteful consumerism is to be eliminated, the system of production and marketing of unnecessary consumer goods and throwaway items should shift to a more environmentally sound production and marketing system. A better balance between ecology and economy could be achieved through higher-quality goods having longer lifespan as well as through increased recycling and reuse of materials. Studies of food production in industrial countries have also shown that the energy costs for transporting, marketing, processing, advertising and storing goods may be much higher than the energy costs to produce them! In the European countries now undergoing economic restructuring, new industrial production should be as resource-efficient and energy-efficient as possible.