Environmental Economics

Latest in Environmental Economics

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  Natural capital in a Nordic context

  A report for the Nordic Council of Ministers reviewing five different approaches to natural capital accounting and exploring their links with biodiversity and ecosystems.

• Incorporating biodiversity and ecosystem service values into national strategies and action plans

  This guidance document has been prepared to support practitioners of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans to update their plans to incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem service values. Six in depth country case studies provide common lessons of good practice.

• Webinar: Incorporating biodiversity into national strategies and action plans

  IEEP has just produced a roadmap and guidance document to help practitioners to incorporate biodiversity and ecosystem values into their NBSAPs. See case study examples and tune into the webinars on June 5 and 7.

• The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands

  This new IEEP-led report presents insights on the importance of wetlands in delivering ecosystem services that are needed to support human life, and also for people’s livelihoods and the world’s economies. The report shows that demonstrating and using the values of ecosystem services related to water and wetlands can lead to better informed, more cost-effective, and fairer decision- making.

• The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands

  This new IEEP-led report presents insights on the importance of wetlands in delivering ecosystem services that are needed to support human life, and also for people’s livelihoods and the world’s economies. The report shows that demonstrating and using the values of ecosystem services related to water and wetlands can lead to better informed, more cost-effective, and fairer decision- making.

• Reforming environmental taxes and harmful subsidies: challenges and opportunities

  This policy paper provides a brief introduction and overview to the issues of environmental tax reform and environmentally harmful subsidies and outlines recent developments in the EU. It also outlines the remaining challenges in these areas and the potential role of the 7th EAP in helping to deliver the ETR and EHS agendas.

• Improving measurement to manage through the 7th EAP: the role of indicators and accounting

  This policy paper provides a brief overview of the context and state of play in the area of “measurement to manage”. It also outlines the needs for future action in this area and the potential role of the 7th EAP in improving the availability and use of indicators and accounts in the EU.

• Socio-economic importance of ecosystem services in the Nordic countries

  New TEEB-inspired regional assessment (published on 31 January) shows that nature and its ecosystem services are of high socio-economic significance for the Nordic countries. In order to be truly sustainable, Nordic economic systems need to build on a more comprehensive appreciation and understanding of the value of natural capital.

• Reforming environmentally harmful subsidies for a resource efficient Europe

  The EU has a long-standing commitment to removing or phasing out environmentally harmful subsidies (EHS). However, progress has been slow and EHS remain an issue in most EU countries. The Eurozone crisis and stagnating economic performance in many countries provide an opportunity to put new momentum behind this agenda.

• Increasing regional prosperity by investing in nature: Guidance to mainstream biodiversity

  Investment in natural capital through the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems has a lot to offer for regional development. A new publication authored by IEEP provides guidance on integrating biodiversity into EU Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in 2014-2020.

• Nature and its role in the transition to a Green Economy

  This new IEEP-authored report highlighting the importance of nature to the economy aims to clarify and help mainstream nature’s role in the transition to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

• Resource mobilisation at the heart of CBD COP discussions

  The eyes of the world’s biodiversity community are on Hyderabad as Parties to the Convention tackle the pressing challenges faced in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, including mobilising sufficient resources to translate the Plan into concrete action.

• Investments in improving the environment and in remediation of environmental damage – Comparative study of different measures funded through the use of economic environmental instruments

  The effective utilisation of revenue from market based instruments is a way to achieve both environmental improvements in line with the promotion of a Green Economy, and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Given the existing shortfall in climate finance, the potential to generate revenue through auctioning under the EU-ETS should not be overlooked.

• Systemic approach to adaptation to climate change and renewable energy harnessing (Biomass and Mini-hydro)

  Biochar has the potential to both mitigate greenhouse gases, and to act as an adaptation measure in terms of responding to the impacts of climate change. Based on its compatibility with the appropriate soil properties, it could increase the resilience of soil to erosion.

• Refreshing Europe's water policy

  The latest edition of IEEP's newsletter is now available with a lead article on efforts to reinvigorate EU water policy. Plus CAP reform, nature in the Green Economy, using straw for biofuels, emissions trading revenues ...

• What do we mean by Green Economy?

  What is the Green Economy? What policy actions can contribute to achieving it? And how have EU-funded research projects supported these actions?

• Green Economy in the European Union

  Elements of the green economy concept are relatively well integrated in EU strategic documents - but the focus is on achieving green/sustainable growth, rather than achieving a ‘green economy’.

• After Rio, it’s up to us to shape the Future We Want

  Despite some new commitments on Green Economy, oceans, and Sustainable Development Goals, progress on much of the Rio agenda will depend on actions taken by individual countries, blocs (like the EU), companies and civil society networks.

• Rio+20: Flagging the key issues however flimsy the agreement

  Key agendas for the future were given an airing in Rio, whilst the agreement itself remained timid, not least on the Green Economy. IEEP played an active role in keeping this issue in the Rio bloodstream.

• Estimating the Overall Economic Value of the Benefits provided by the Natura 2000 Network

  Estimated benefits provided to EU citizens from the EU’s Natura 2000 Network could be in the range of €200 to €300 billion a year.