Taking nature into account : a report to the Club of Rome : toward a sustainable national income

Indicators used to direct ecomonic policy (GDP, national income, etc.) are based on a number of factors ß but nowhere in their calculation is there an acknowledgement of the degradation of natural resources. The numbers may look good, but continued deterioration of the environment is leading us closer to crises; meanwhile, policymakers and the public are basing decisions on dangerously incomplete information. In **Taking Nature into Account**, a number of the world's leading experts make the ethical, historical, economic, and ecological arguments for including environmental factors when measuring fiscal health. Initiated by the Club of Rome (an international group of influential businesspeople, statesmen, and scientists), and written in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature, the report reviews existing methodologies and makes recommendations for adjusting the way we think about and measure the economy. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction....Pages 1-11 Front Matter....Pages 13-13 The History and Roots of Growth....Pages 15-27 Economic Growth and Gross National Product....Pages 28-43 Front Matter....Pages 45-45 State of the Environment....Pages 47-59 Failures of the System of National Accounts....Pages 60-81 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 From Growth to Sustainability....Pages 85-98 The Concept of Sustainability....Pages 99-123 Vision of the South....Pages 124-141 Indicators for Measuring Welfare....Pages 142-156 The Role of Social Indicators....Pages 157-166 Front Matter....Pages 167-167 Introduction....Pages 169-173 Defensive Expenditures....Pages 175-186 Depletion of Natural Resources....Pages 187-205 Estimating Sustainable National Income....Pages 206-230 Environmental Accounting and the System of National Accounts....Pages 231-251 Front Matter....Pages 257-257 Taking Nature into Account: Conclusions and Recommendations....Pages 257-295 Back Matter....Pages 297-332

Indicators used to direct ecomonic policy (GDP, national income, etc.) are based on a number of factors ß but nowhere in their calculation is there an acknowledgement of the degradation of natural resources. The numbers may look good, but continued deterioration of the environment is leading us closer to crises; meanwhile, policymakers and the public are basing decisions on dangerously incomplete information. In Taking Nature into Account, a number of the world's leading experts make the ethical, historical, economic, and ecological arguments for including environmental factors when measuring fiscal health. Initiated by the Club of Rome (an international group of influential businesspeople, statesmen, and scientists), and written in cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature, the report reviews existing methodologies and makes recommendations for adjusting the way we think about and measure the economy.

Indicators Used To Direct Ecomonic Policy Are Based On A Number Of Factors - None Of Which, However, Acknowledge The Degradation Of Natural Resources. Continued Deterioration Of The Environment Is Leading Us Closer To Crisis, While Policymakers And The Public Base Their Decisions On Dangerously Incomplete Information. In Taking Nature Into Account, A Number Of The World's Leading Experts State The Ethical, Historical, Economic, And Ecological Arguments For Including Environmental Factors When Measuring Fiscal Health. Initiated By The Club Of Rome (an International Group Of Influential Businesspeople, Statesmen, And Scientists), And Written In Cooperation With The World Wide Fund For Nature, The Report Reviews Existing Methodologies And Makes Recommendations For Adjusting The Way We Think About And Measure The Economy. In 1972, a report was published by a mysterious club nobody had ever heard of, which shocked the world-a report about the forthcoming collapse of life on earth, not written by some sectarian doomsday prophet but by scientists of high repute, working with that new device of modernity, the computer.