Green Accounting in Europe — Four case studies (Economics, Energy and Environment Book 11)

Conventional economic accounts, which measure Gross National Product (GNP)and related indicators of national performance, do not fully allow for the damages caused to the environment in the course of producing and consuming goods and services. Nor do they fully account for the fact that some resources are being depleted in achieving the living standards that we enjoy today. This failure is important, because policy-makers are guided by the changes in macroeconomic indicators such as GNP. Moreover such indicators are not a good guide to the sustainability of present practices of consumption and production. This book provides practical estimates of one key area of neglect in the present national accounts - the measurement of environmental damages. The book sets out the methodology for making such estimates and then applies it to data from four countries: Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the UK. The results show what can be achieved in the way of consistent damage estimates and what the key problems are. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Scope of Study and Background....Pages 3-17 Valuation of Damages....Pages 18-34 Health Impacts....Pages 35-65 Noise....Pages 66-75 Crops....Pages 76-82 Forests....Pages 83-89 Ecosystems....Pages 90-106 Materials....Pages 107-118 Global Warming....Pages 119-126 Conclusions and Recommendations....Pages 127-129 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Introduction and Data Issues....Pages 133-138 Damage to Health....Pages 139-146 Noise....Pages 147-152 Damage to Crops....Pages 153-158 Damage to Materials....Pages 159-165 Defensive Expenditures....Pages 166-169 Results and Conclusions....Pages 170-171 References....Pages 172-173 Front Matter....Pages 175-175 Pollution Data Collection and Modeling....Pages 177-178 Health....Pages 179-186 Front Matter....Pages 175-175 Noise....Pages 187-190 Crops....Pages 191-193 Forests....Pages 194-198 Ecosystems....Pages 199-202 Materials....Pages 203-209 Results for Germany....Pages 210-222 Conclusions, Implications for Policy and Future Research....Pages 223-225 References....Pages 226-228 Front Matter....Pages 229-229 Introduction....Pages 231-242 Health....Pages 243-251 Crops....Pages 252-259 Ecosystems....Pages 260-267 Materials....Pages 268-274 Conclusions....Pages 275-276 References....Pages 277-280 Front Matter....Pages 281-281 Introduction....Pages 283-294 Health....Pages 295-309 Noise....Pages 310-316 Crops....Pages 317-327 Forests....Pages 328-333 Front Matter....Pages 281-281 Ecosystems....Pages 334-344 Materials....Pages 345-358 References....Pages 359-363 Back Matter....Pages 365-371 The present report makes extensive use of a methodology developed by the EXTERNE project of the EC Directorate General XII JOULE II Programme.