by Kate Holman in Brussels
Natural resources such as water, air, soil and trees – what is their commercial value and what is humanity prepared to pay for them?
That is the question which has been taxing a team of global experts. The European Commission has just published the latest findings of a three-year study on The Economics and Ecosystems and Biodiversity which warns of the consequences of taking natural resources for granted.
EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said: “We must learn to value nature to protect it more effectively. The truth is it sustains and underpins our economies and societies.”
TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev added: “The economic invisibility of ecosystems and biodiversity is a major reason for their alarming loss.”
Investment in conservation will actually save money in the long term. However, when it comes to numbers, the authors of the report say they need more time to compile a database of values.
In the run-up to the United Nations climate summit in December, the report emphasises the link between healthy ecosystems and climate change. One of the key issues at Copenhagen will be looking for a global agreement to stop the deforestation that is currently generating one-fifth of carbon dioxide emissions.
The increasingly rapid destruction of natural habitats and species could prove just as dangerous as climate change itself, says the European Commission.
One outcome of the TEEB findings is likely to be the further development of national and international pricing and measuring systems designed to create a “market” for natural resources.
The Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency has been working on “accounting techniques” to evaluate how different sectors of the economy rely on ecosystems services.
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