Measuring the trade-off between economic growth and a clean environment

Abstract

This article surveys various aspects of the measurement of environmental quality from the view point of national accounting and welfare economics. It focuses on the question whether GNP or NNP should be corrected for environmental change (‘green’ or ‘eco’-GNP) or whether physical accounts provide sufficient information for an assessment of the trade-off mentioned above. We conclude that valuation of (services from) environmental capital cannot be avoided for such assessment, but can only be made using a model based approach. Statistical agencies should continue to collect data on environmental quality and to value changes in environmental capital in the context of national resource accounting. However, official statisticians should refrain from correcting GNP or NNP for environmental change, as this correction implicitly contains a political judgment and cannot be based on mere technical knowledge. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1994Green GNP, optimal economic growth, sustainable development, environmental capital, environmental valuation, indicators,

Sustainability Assessment of Transport Infrastructure Projects: A Review of Existing Tools and Methods

“…Examples in the literature include particular studies for determining the trade-off between two specific effects such as environmental care and long-term growth -see Gradus and Smulders (1993); capital accumulation and environmental quality -see Becker (1982). Other research works include the trade-off between two specific dimensions of sustainability such as economic growth and environmental quality -see Den Butter and Verbruggen (1994) -or environmental protection versus economic development -see Feiock and Stream (2001).…”

Swedish sustainability through a Zhang and London lens

“…Zhang and London (2013) have proposed a model in which sustainability CR 26,4 is included as an influence of the factors determining country competitiveness. Although general statements of interactive consequences have been made -both by Zhang and London (2013) and others (Prezioso and Coronato, 2013;O'Hara, 1997;Den Butter and Verbruggen, 1994;Toman, 1994, p. 107), this paper focuses on actual changes initiated where sustainability is a priority.…”

“…It might be further noted that the relationship between sustainability and competitiveness has a rich history of being debated in the literature, and some of this discussion has come specifically in Europe. Early on, Den Butter and Verbruggen (1994), for instance, discussed the trade-off between economic growth and a clean environment.…”

The Ecological Impact of Transportation Infrastructure

“…3 On the general relationship between economic development and the environment, see Den Butter and Verbruggen (1994), Arrow et al (1995), Grossman and Krueger (1995), Stern, Common and Barbier (1996), Andreoni and Levinson (2001), Dasgupta et al (2002), Foster and Rosenzweig (2003) and Stern (2004).…”