Indicators of Progress The State of the Nation's Ecosystems: Measuring the Lands, Waters, and Living Resources of the United States

摘要

In the United States and elsewhere, the public has long been accustomed to economic indicators such as the Dow Jones index and the gross domestic product (GDP), which condense voluminous data into a single number that suggests whether economic performance is getting better or worse, thereby helping decision makers craft policy responses. Similarly, many people use indicators such as cholesterol and blood pressure levels to help guide their health care decisions. But, despite clear support for equivalent indicators to determine whether environmental conditions are improving or declining to help guide environmental policy decisions, we have yet to systematically collect the necessary data and periodically publicize the results. But that is changing. With the September 2002 publication of The State of the Nation's Ecosystems: Measuring the Lands, Waters, and Living Resources of the United States, The H. John Heinz Ⅲ Center for Science, Economics and the Environment (The Heinz Center) has made a valuable contribution toward actualizing the potential of this powerful policy tool.