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When environmental goods and services are costed, rather than considered
as free, there is an appreciation of the immense value of the environmental
assets that underpin human well-being and security. This value is proportionally
greater for the livelihoods, survival ability and resilience of the poorest
and most marginalized communities. Valuing the environment is one way
of raising the profile of the environment in the national policy arena.
There have been numerous attempts to develop methods to assign a monetary
value to environmental goods and services and the environmental impacts
of economic activity. Such methods need further development and validation.
| Suggestions for Action |
| Valuing the environment |
- Refine and improve methods of calculating the economic value
of environmental goods and services, and the environmental impacts
of economic activity
- Evaluate environmental costs and benefits in all sectors of
the economy to incorporate environmental accounting as standard
practice in local or national accounting and at company level
- Support and encourage those involved in education and economics
courses to incorporate tools and methods for environmental accounting
into all curricula
- Consider environmental costs and benefits in policy development
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