What is a significant impact of a low atom economy on the environment?

A low atom economy refers to a situation in chemical processes where a significant portion of the reactants is not converted into useful products, resulting in a high amount of waste. This can have substantial environmental implications because a greater quantity of raw materials is required to produce the same amount of desired product. Consequently, this often leads to the extraction of more natural resources, which can cause depletion of these resources and contribute to environmental degradation.

When the atom economy is low, more resources are consumed, which can contribute to unsustainable practices, such as increased mining, deforestation, or depletion of fossil fuels. This not only impacts the environment through habitat destruction and loss of biodiversity, but it can also exacerbate issues related to climate change and resource scarcity. Therefore, the significant environmental impact of low atom economy is indeed linked to the unsustainable use of natural resources.