Environmental economics

This book tracks the rise of a powerful idea in global biodiversity conservation. Many scientists, bureacrats, and environmentalists now believe that the only way  to slow the decimation of nonhuman life on earth is to translate conservation into an economically rational -- even profitable -- set of policies and practices.

Global spending on nature conservation is currently estimated at around US$50 billion per year. Most of this is public money, yet even this is far from sufficient to maintain biodiversity and the ecosystem services upon which our economies, livelihoods and well-being depend. For this reason, many governments are using payments for ecosystem services (PES) and related market-based instruments to encourage the private sector to do more to protect the environment.

The book expresses the ultimate aim that a Blue Economy business model will shift society from scarcity to abundance "with what we have", by tackling issues that cause environmental and related problems in new ways.

This book provides a review of progress in achieving the EECCA Environment Strategy's objectives, and provides a solid analytical base for discussions on future environmental co-operation between EECCA countries and their partners.

The Living Planet Report relates the Living Planet Index – a measure of the health of the world's biodiversity – to the Ecological Footprint and the Water Footprint – measures of humanity's demands on the Earth's natural resources.