Advancing environmental-economic accounting in the context of the system of economic statistics

Natural capital and its increasing scarcity have been at the heart of concerns over sustainability for many decades. This paper highlights the significant advances in accounting for the stocks and flows of natural capital that have taken place in the statistical community through the ongoing development and implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). Through description of the history and key components of the SEEA and through presentation of various examples of accounting from around the world, this paper demonstrates not only the theoretical advances but also the feasibility and relevance of SEEA based accounts to policy making. The increasing recognition of the threats of climate change and the importance of halting biodiversity loss and maintaining healthy ecosystems which provide essential contributions to people, make the implementation of the SEEA extremely timely and relevant in supporting policies that take into account the environment. There is now clear support from the official statistics community and a clear role for national statistical offices in using the SEEA to go “beyond GDP”. We can no longer afford to ignore our dependence on the environment, our natural capital. Accounting for it is part of the pathway forward.

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The Valuation of Environmental Assets

Conservation ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190613600.003.0006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 140-158

Author(s):

Charles Perrings

Keyword(s):

Environmental Economic ◽

Total Factor Productivity ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Rate Of Change ◽

Rate Of Return ◽

Factor Productivity ◽

Natural Resource Use ◽

The World ◽

United Nations System ◽

Nations System

Chapter 6 examines the value of environmental assets, which lies in the discounted stream of services they offer. Their conservation depends on the expected rate of change in their value, if conserved, relative to the rate of return on alternative assets. This chapter considers how the portfolio of environmental assets—natural capital—has been valued at the national scale. The two main approaches adopted are the United Nations’ System of Environmental-Economic Accounts (SEEA), and the World Bank’s (Inclusive) Wealth Accounts. The authors consider both approaches, and what they mean for the sustainability and the efficiency of natural resource use. Particular attention is paid to the residual left over after taking account of all marketed inputs in production: total factor productivity.

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Natural Capital Accounting for Water Resources

The Oxford Handbook of Food, Water and Society ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190669799.013.1 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 60-75

Author(s):

Matthew Agarwala ◽

Michael Brock

Keyword(s):

Water Resources ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Case Studies ◽

Real World ◽

Natural Capital ◽

National Accounts ◽

Capital Asset ◽

Stocks And Flows ◽

Natural Capital Accounting ◽

Water Accounts

Finding appropriate mechanisms by which to value the environment and incorporate it into economics remains a sizeable challenge for researchers in the field. Attributes of natural resources feasibly align with an economist’s notion of ‘capital’. But once nature is defined as capital, there is a crucial distinction between stocks and flows, and as a result there are both opportunities and difficulties of incorporating them within the national accounts. This reasoning can be applied specifically to hydrological capital, as is shown by three real-world case studies. Hydrological capital is uniquely difficult to value, and that field is still in its infancy. But examples demonstrate that water accounts can be used to inform policy, and that it is possible to acknowledge and account for water as a capital asset.

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Research and application of GEP------China's experience in natural capital accounting---a review

10.22541/au.164129897.73163837/v1 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

haijiang Yang ◽

xiaohua Gou ◽

weijing Ma ◽

zhenyu Tu ◽

dingcai Yin

Keyword(s):

Natural Capital ◽

Global Climate ◽

Path Model ◽

Accounting System ◽

Ecological Compensation ◽

Ecosystem Research ◽

Ecological Protection ◽

The World ◽

Natural Capital Accounting ◽

Parallel Evaluation

Under the background of global climate change and the human activities, the stock of natural capital and the the ability of ecosystem services are facing increasing pressure, and the contradiction between natural capital protection and people’s livelihood development is also increasing. Therefore, it is urgent to integrate ecosystem value estimation into the development decision-making of countries all over the world. As a new ecosystem research method, ecosystem gross product (GEP) accounting is widely used in China, and often used to reflect the effectiveness of regional ecological protection and the coordination relationship between development and protection. We found that : (1) GEP accounting can reflect the overall situation of ecological environment and service quality, and help decision-makers and managers formulate and implement sustainable development strategies and ecological protection policies. (2) The contradiction between the depletion of global ecosystem capital and the development of people’s livelihood continues to intensify. About 68.7% of developing countries facing “low-low development model” (low GEP and low GDP). (3) We have constructed the path model of GEP working system and the path model of ecological protection compensation mechanism in China. The GEP accounting system of “from point to area, from top to bottom”, the parallel evaluation strategy of GDP and GEP and the comprehensive ecological compensation system of “vertical and horizontal combination” implemented can be popularized to countries all over the world.

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From natural capital accounting to natural capital banking

Nature Sustainability ◽

10.1038/s41893-021-00747-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michael J. Vardon ◽

Heather Keith ◽

Peter Burnett ◽

David B. Lindenmayer

Keyword(s):

Natural Capital ◽

Natural Capital Accounting

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Natural capital accounting for better policy

AMBIO ◽

10.1007/s13280-018-1107-y ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (7) ◽

pp. 714-725 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Arjan Ruijs ◽

Michael Vardon ◽

Steve Bass ◽

Sofia Ahlroth

Keyword(s):

Natural Capital ◽

Natural Capital Accounting

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“Mathematics maybe, but not money”

Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal ◽

10.1108/aaaj-06-2017-2963 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 1459-1480 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Sian Sullivan ◽

Mike Hannis

Keyword(s):

Land Use Planning ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Economic Values ◽

Content Type ◽

Experimental Implementation ◽

Natural Capital Accounting ◽

Ecological Accounting ◽

The Uk ◽

Biodiversity Offset ◽

Policy Texts

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider and compare different ways of using numbers to value aspects of nature-beyond-the-human through case analysis of ecological and natural capital accounting practices in the UK that create standardised numerical-economic values for beyond-human natures. In addition, to contrast underlying ontological and ethical assumptions of these arithmetical approaches in ecological accounting with those associated with Pythagorean nature-numbering practices and fractal geometry. In doing so, to draw out distinctions between arithmetical and geometrical ontologies of nature and their relevance for “valuing nature”. Design/methodology/approach Close reading and review of policy texts and associated calculations in: UK natural capital accounts for “opening stock” inventories in 2007 and 2014; and in the experimental implementation of biodiversity offsetting (BDO) in land-use planning in England. Tracking the iterative calculations of biodiversity offset requirements in a specific planning case. Conceptual review, drawing on and contrasting different numbering practices being applied so as to generate numerical-economic values for natures-beyond-the-human. Findings In the cases of ecological accounting practices analysed here, the natures thus numbered are valued and “accounted for” using arithmetical methodologies that create commensurability and facilitate appropriation of the values so created. Notions of non-monetary value, and associated practices, are marginalised. Instead of creating standardisation and clarity, however, the accounting practices considered here for natural capital accounts and BDO create nature-signalling numbers that are struggled over and contested. Originality/value This is the first critical engagement with the specific policy texts and case applications considered here, and, the authors believe, the first attempt to contrast arithmetical and geometrical numbering practices in their application to the understanding and valuing of natures-beyond-the-human.

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Natural capital accounting and climate change

Nature Climate Change ◽

10.1038/nclimate2257 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 520-522 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Matthew Agarwala ◽

Giles Atkinson ◽

Christopher Baldock ◽

Barry Gardiner

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Natural Capital ◽

Natural Capital Accounting

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The Natural Capital Accounting Opportunity: Let's Really Do the Numbers

BioScience ◽

10.1093/biosci/biy135 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 68 (12) ◽

pp. 940-943 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

James W Boyd ◽

Kenneth J Bagstad ◽

Jane Carter Ingram ◽

Carl D Shapiro ◽

Jeffery E Adkins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Natural Capital ◽

Natural Capital Accounting

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Armoedekultuur: Die leefwereld van die Nuwe Testament en die situasie in Suid-Afrika vandag

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies ◽

10.4102/hts.v52i4.1579 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Andries Van Aarde

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

New Testament ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Eastern Mediterranean ◽

Culture Of Poverty ◽

Economic Statistics ◽

The Social ◽

The World ◽

The New Testament ◽

Social Scientific

Culture of poverty: The world of the New Testament then and the situation in South Africa today. In this article poverty in the world of the New Testament is explained in the light of the social dynamics of the first century Eastern Mediterranean. The focus is on the sub-culture of the disreputable poor. Features of a culture of poverty are reflected upon from a social-scientific perspective in order to try to understand why poverty is intensifying in South Africa today. The article aims at identifying guidelines for Christians in using the New Testament in a profound way to challenge the threat of poverty. The following aspects are discussed: the underdevelopment of third-world societies over against the technical evolution in first-world societies during the past two hundred years, economic statistics with regard to productivity and unemployment in South Africa, the social identity of the disreputable poor, poverty within the pre-print culture of the biblical period, and the church as the household of God where Christians should have compassion for others.

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