Suche
Kategoriefilter
Ressourcenpool
Taking stock: progress in natural capital accounting
In November, the European Commission issued a new publication on the progress in natural capital accounting. Natural capital is a way to describe Earth's natural assets.
"The growing human population and a shift to more resource-intensive habits and behaviours are increasing the demands on global ecosystems. Natural capital is a way to describe Earth’s natural assets, including soil, air, water, and living things, existing as complex ecosystems, which provide a range of services to humans. Depleting and degrading these reserves may irreversibly reduce the availability of benefits to future generations. This In-Depth Report presents an overview of ideas, debates and progress so far in natural capital accounting, in particular in accounting for ecosystems and their services.
(...)
The potential of NCA is significant; for example, the historically determined country ‘rankings’ of the global economy might be transformed if accounts of natural capital gain recognition alongside GDP as future measures of national wealth. When it comes to the ecosystems we depend on, there is a need to continue testing accounting approaches and demonstrating policy applications in a variety of contexts. It is clear the need for a workable system of natural capital accounting is only going to increase: supranational organisations, states, governments, regions and businesses alike will need to build their commitment to strengthen the evidence base."
Click here to view the full in-depth report.