What does natural capital accounting (NCA) stand for? Why is it important for the sustainability of our ecosystem services?
Nature must be at heart of decision-making. Since natural resources are scarce, NCA helps to translate ecological results into environmental and monetary indicators and accounts. This accounting process contributes to measure the contribution that nature provides to the human well-being, as it relates to the use or consumption of natural resources and land, subsequently promoting a sustainable behavior.
Awareness of NCA’s role in integrating the economic contribution of ecosystem services into the standard national accounting is very important to evaluate the ecological impact of the different human activities and thus, improve political decision-making.
Now, the ARIES team, which is working hard with UNEP and UNSD to bring the first rapid NCA technology to decision makers in 2020, is organizing its first Twitter chat next Tuesday, July 7 in order to discuss the role that NCA has for improving policy-making decisions. The one-hour online discussion will start at 9.30am CDT/ 4.30pm CEST/ 10.30pm AST and will have as subject experts:
- Alessandra Alfieri, Chief of the Environmental Economic Accounts section, Statistics Division, at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). As an expert of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), she has a long experience dealing with statistics on the environment and its relationship with the economy.
- François Soulard, Chief of the Research & Development section at Statistics Canada. He is specialised in the field of environmental statistics and environmental accounting, with a particular emphasis on water statistics, ecosystem goods and services statistics.
- Jane Carter Ingram, Senior Manager of Climate Change and Sustainability Services at EY. She helps public and private companies around the globe integrate natural capital, such as wetlands that defend coastlines against storms and forests that help mitigate climate change, into their business strategies.
- Kenneth Bagstad, Research Economist at the U.S. Geological Survey and part of the ARIES project. He works with the USGS to account for nature’s value in decision making by U.S. Federal government agencies. He also serves as co-PI on a project to develop natural capital accounts for the United States.
The online discussion will be open to anyone who might be interested in the topic, so do not hesitate to join us by using the hashtag #AriesChat on July 7 at 9.30am CDT/ 4.30pm CEST/ 10.30pm AST and interact with our four experts by sharing your own views or raising more questions. Your opinion is key for us!
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