The article critiques the concept of the "material footprint," which aggregates the weight of all resources used by an economy without considering the varying scarcity or environmental impacts of those resources. It argues that this metric obscures critical issues related to resource depletion, environmental consequences, and socioeconomic effects, emphasizing the need for more specific data on individual materials and their impacts.
material footprint ✓
resource use ✓
environmental impact ✓