By Richard
Johnstone | 8 June 2011
The government has outlined plans to create ‘green accounts’ for the UK that will show which natural resources have been used annually.
The proposal is contained in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs first white paper on the natural environment in 20 years.
The paper, The natural choice: securing the value of nature, also proposes setting up an independent Natural Capital Committee for England, to report on the state of environmental resources. It would advise government on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably.
The white paper states that economic growth and the natural environment are ‘mutually compatible’, and the green accounts would be used to show green growth alongside economic growth, detailing which resources have been taken from ‘nature’s bank balance’ and which have been invested.
Defra says it will work with the Office for National Statistics to fully include natural capital into the UK Environmental Accounts, which currently update the UK’s oil and gas reserves, woodland areas and fish stocks annually.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: ‘We can all gain from the economic, social and health benefits nature gives us, but we need to recognise that if we withdraw something from Mother Nature’s bank, we’ve got to put something back in to ensure that the environment has a healthy balance and a secure future.
‘That’s why the true value of nature should be built in to the decisions we make – as individuals, organisations, businesses and governments – so that we become the first generation to leave the environment in a better condition than we found it.’
Commenting on the white paper, published on Tuesday, CIPFA assistant director for policy Tom Lewis said that the move to a green account was welcome. He said: ‘Recognising and reporting on the value of the natural environment has been the subject of debate internationally for some time, and this initiative is to be welcomed.
The government has outlined plans to create ‘green accounts’ for the UK that will show which natural resources have been used annually.
The proposal is contained in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs first white paper on the natural environment in 20 years.
The paper, The natural choice: securing the value of nature, also proposes setting up an independent Natural Capital Committee for England, to report on the state of environmental resources. It would advise government on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably.
The white paper states that economic growth and the natural environment are ‘mutually compatible’, and the green accounts would be used to show green growth alongside economic growth, detailing which resources have been taken from ‘nature’s bank balance’ and which have been invested.
Defra says it will work with the Office for National Statistics to fully include natural capital into the UK Environmental Accounts, which currently update the UK’s oil and gas reserves, woodland areas and fish stocks annually.
Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: ‘We can all gain from the economic, social and health benefits nature gives us, but we need to recognise that if we withdraw something from Mother Nature’s bank, we’ve got to put something back in to ensure that the environment has a healthy balance and a secure future.
‘That’s why the true value of nature should be built in to the decisions we make – as individuals, organisations, businesses and governments – so that we become the first generation to leave the environment in a better condition than we found it.’
Commenting on the white paper, published on Tuesday, CIPFA assistant director for policy Tom Lewis said that the move to a green account was welcome. He said: ‘Recognising and reporting on the value of the natural environment has been the subject of debate internationally for some time, and this initiative is to be welcomed.
‘It represents an important development in sustainability reporting at above organisational level.’
The white paper follows the publication of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment last week. This found that the benefit of the inland wetlands to water quality was worth up to £1.5bn per year, while the amenity benefits of living close to rivers, coasts and other wetlands was worth up to £1.3bn.
