Greening the books

摘要

Costa rica's environment minister, Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, has a plan to make people take his kind more seriously: "We need to learn the language of finance and economics, and demonstrate the economic benefits of the environment." When he said it this week at a UN gathering, the room burst out laughing. But his notion may not be that outlandish. Costa Rica is already a leader in recognising the "ecosystem services" provided to the broader economy by healthy watersheds, unmolested forests and so on. And this week, the World Bank has joined Mr Rodriguez's side by publishing a report arguing that current measures of a country's economic welfare, such as gross national product, are inadequate since they ignore the value of a country's natural assets.