Talk:Dematerialization

Other meanings than Teleporation

The pages Dematerialization and Dematerialisation currently re-direct to Teleportation.

However there is a more common meaning of the term in environmental economics. Here is a suggested start:

Dematerialization refers to the absolute or relative reduction in the quantity of materials required to serve economic functions in society. Dematerialization is important for the human environment. Lowering the materials intensity of the economy could reduce the amount of garbage produced, limit human exposures to hazardous materials, and conserve landscapes.

Is dematerialization occurring? Certain products, such as personal computers and beverage cans, have become smaller and lighter over the years. However, revenge effects may still countervail. A vexing case is that total paper consumption has soared despite claims that the electronic information revolution would create a paperless office.

In 1988 Robert Herman, Siamak Ardekani, and Jesse Ausubel began to explore the question of whether the "dematerialization" of human societies is under way. At that time, dematerialization was defined primarily as the decline over time in the weight of materials used in industrial end products or in the "embedded energy" of the products.

References

• and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, MA, 1996

--Billtubbs 20:47, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

Removed redirect...

I removed the redirect, and added the initial proposed text. I also added a couple of references to a common way of looking at economics which ignores the concept of dematerialization (or even the well accepted concept that it is good, and profitable, to 'do more with less).

I tried to make the entry not blatantly non-NPOV, but I didn't take great pains to be 'nice' to the 'other' view. I was not 'nice' for two reasons. First, I think the people who compare economic growth to cancer cells are, well (this is the talk page, I don't have to be NPOV here), freaking idiots. Second, dematerialization is an important economic concept with huge relevance to our current environmental crisis. Since it is so important it deserves a rich and varied wikipedia entry. My hope is that by posting a true, albeit 'strident,' initial post that the topic will become active and through that crucible of discussion and work will pour an entry we can be proud of...

Redirect or its own subject?

Gabrial and BringaF have each reverted this page to a redirect to Teleportation.

I assert, with I believe more than adequate evidence, that there is an important economic meaning to the term. Please don't revert to the redirect to Teleportation without preferably a discussion, but at least an explanation.

Thank you.

--RichGibson 10:31, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

• I am removing text which is a copyright violation of [1]. You may be absolutely right about this page needing a change, but please do so properly. Unfortunately, I do not know enough about Dematerialization to do so myself. Brianga 20:56, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Your removing text which, I assert, you disagree with. I wish you would stop it. --RichGibson 21:25, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Split

As all these concepts are different it is hard to write a meaningful lead that is a not a disambiguation page. I therefore suggest we create separate pages for each concept and turn this current page into a disambiguation page. Sargdub (talk) 04:02, 20 December 2013 (UTC)

I have split the articles. Sargdub (talk) 03:20, 3 September 2014 (UTC)