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All societies depend on biodiversity and biological resources, and policy-makers are increasingly aware that development pressures are today generating unprecedented rates of biodiversity loss. The fact that biodiversity issues often receive low priority in policy decisions is at least in part due to problems involved in assessing its contribution to society -- these values defy easy description and quantification. What cannot be quantified, or is difficult to monitor and evaluate, is easy to disregard. The result is that biodiversity fails to compete on a level playing field in policy decisions with the forces driving their decline.
This Handbook describes the types of values usually associated with biodiversity. While there are exceptions to the need to prioritise economic values over other cultural, traditional and spiritual values, economic valuation has a sound theoretical foundation that can help clarify the tradeoffs implicit in public policy decisions. On the other hand, the Handbook recognises the limitations of the economic approach, and considers how economic and non-economic values can eventually be reconciled.
The Handbook also reviews the various methodological approaches often used to quantify these values. Data requirements and limitations are discussed. These methodologies are then applied to a series of concrete policy contexts, ranging from land use planning to the determination of legal damages for environmental degradation.
Governments need to implement appropriate policies to ensure both the private and the public goods values of biological diversity are realised. Unless the users of biological resources are given incentives to sustainably use these resources, valuable biodiversity will continue to be lost. Because of the inherent complexity of biological systems, and the range of pressures that act on them, a "bundle" of carefully-designed and complementary incentive measures are often necessary to provide the appropriate signals to prevent biodiversity loss.
This unique Handbook draws on the experiences described in 22 case studies to develop a comprehensive step-by-step process for identifying and implementing appropriate incentive measures for biodiversity conservation, and the sustainable use of its components. It identifies the incentive measures that are most suitable for particular ecosystems, and for addressing the specific sectoral pressures in effect, describing both the advantages and the disadvantages of each incentive measure. A wide range of incentive measures are described, including both the more common economic and regulatory incentives, and also the necessary framework conditions, such as scientific and technical capacity building, education and awareness raising, and the involvement of local populations and other stakeholders.
Striking the right balance between the conservation/sustainable use and the loss of biodiversity requires accounting for all the impacts of its destruction. Weighing the loss against any potential benefits will ensure that the social, as well as economic, well-being of everyone are at the best levels possible. Market-based economic systems have the potential to ensure that such a balancing occurs, but require that all the impacts of its loss, or use, have been fully internalised into market transactions.
This book shows how public policy in the form of market creation can be used to internalise the loss of biodiversity. It promotes the use of markets to ensure that our collective preferences for conservation and sustainable use are reflected in economic outcomes.
This document sets out the objectives, organisational context, and plan for a Harmonised Integrated Classification System for Human Health and Environmental Hazards of Chemical Substances and Mixtures.
The private provision of biodiversity products and services is proving to be quite feasible in some circumstances. Some biodiversity products and services are already being profitably marketed. Private markets also need to be supported by appropriate public policies. This publication provides a conceptual framework for market creation in the biodiversity policy arena, as well as several examples of where the use of markets can assist policy makers in the search for more sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity.
Household choices – such as what to eat, how to get to work and how to heat our homes – have significant implications for the environment. With the urgency of environmental action and the need to shift to more sustainable consumption patterns, making more sustainable choices holds great potential to reduce environmental impacts. Yet in the context of interlocking crises, governments face challenges in supporting households with policies that realise this potential.
How Green is Household Behaviour? presents an overview of results from the 2022 OECD Survey on Environmental Policies and Individual Behaviour Change. The survey investigates household attitudes and behaviour with respect to energy, transport, waste and food systems. It was carried out across more than 17 000 households in 9 countries, including Belgium, Canada, Israel, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The data collected also include information on self-reported motivations and barriers to change, providing a unique source of empirical evidence to inform policy efforts to shift to more sustainable consumption patterns.
How’s Life? charts whether life is getting better for people in 37 OECD countries and 4 partner countries. This fifth edition presents the latest evidence from an updated set of over 80 indicators, covering current well-being outcomes, inequalities, and resources for future well-being. Since 2010, people’s well-being has improved in many respects, but progress has been slow or deteriorated in others, including how people connect with each other and their government. Large gaps by gender, age and education persist across most well-being outcomes. Generally, OECD countries that do better on average also feature greater equality between population groups and fewer people living in deprivation. Many OECD countries with poorer well-being in 2010 have since experienced the greatest gains. However, advances in current well-being have not always been matched by improvements in the resources that sustain well-being over time, with warning signs emerging across natural, human, economic and social capital. Beyond an overall analysis of well-being trends since 2010, this report explores in detail the 15 dimensions of the OECD Better Life Initiative, including health, subjective well-being, social connections, natural capital, and more, and looks at each country’s performance in dedicated country profiles.
Many Latin American countries have experienced improvements in income over recent decades, with several of them now classified as high-income or upper middle-income in terms of conventional metrics. But has this change been mirrored in improvements across the different areas of people’s lives? How’s Life in Latin America? Measuring Well-being for Policy Making addresses this question by presenting comparative evidence for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with a focus on 11 LAC countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay). Spanning material conditions, quality of life, resources for future well-being, and inequalities, the report presents available evidence on well-being both before and since the onset of the pandemic, based on the OECD Well-being Framework. It also identifies priorities for addressing well-being gaps and describes how well-being frameworks are used in policy within Latin America and elsewhere around the world, providing lessons for governments on what is needed to put people’s well-being at the centre of their action. The report is part of the EU Regional Facility for Development in Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean.
This publication examines the risks associated with the release of excessive nitrogen into the environment (climate change, depletion of the ozone layer, air pollution, water pollution, loss of biodiversity, deterioration of soil quality). The report also examines the uncertainty associated with the ability of nitrogen to move from one ecosystem to another and cause "cascading effects". In addition to better management of nitrogen risks at the local level, there is a need to consider the global risks associated with the continued increase in nitrous oxide concentrations and to prevent excess nitrogen in all its forms by developing cost-effective strategies for all its sources. Other than the reduction of nitrogen pollution, this report provides guidance on the use of nitrogen policy instruments and how to ensure coherence with objectives such as food security, energy security and environmental objectives.
Si bien muchos países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) se han comprometido a lograr la neutralidad climática y desarrollar resiliencia, es imperativo traducir estos compromisos en acciones. Esto requiere, por ejemplo, una mejor gestión de los crecientes riesgos derivados del cambio climático y la variabilidad climática, así como una reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) mediante la promoción de innovación y las inversiones verdes. Lograr estos objetivos requerirá una planificación estratégica y financiera integral a largo plazo, un enfoque más integrado e inclusivo, que alinee mejor las políticas y medidas de adaptación y mitigación en diferentes sectores, aunque a un nivel diferenciado.
Este reporte identifica las principales prioridades políticas de cambio climático de los países de ALC, que fueron discutidas a través de una serie de Diálogos Políticos Regionales y Talleres de Expertos, y complementadas con análisis recientes de la OCDE y otros socios internacionales. Explora cuestiones relacionadas con la implementación en áreas de políticas de adaptación, mitigación y políticas transversales. El reporte cubre varios sectores económicos, que van desde la energía, el transporte, la agricultura y el turismo, así como políticas relacionadas con el medio ambiente en materia de infraestructura, agua, biodiversidad y ecosistemas. El reporte también explora temas transversales, como la gobernanza y las finanzas climáticas, la información ambiental, la transferencia de tecnología, la economía circular, los océanos, la igualdad de género y la educación. Para superar los desafíos y aprovechar las oportunidades asociadas con una transición hacia la resiliencia y la neutralidad climática, el reporte propone un Plan de Acción con 40 recomendaciones clave de políticas.
Česká republika dosáhla pokroku při oddělování hospodářského růstu od čerpání pitné vody, spotřeby energie, emisí skleníkových plynů a dalších znečišťujících látek v ovzduší. Její silná průmyslová základna a spoléhání se na uhlí však řadí Českou republiku mezi energeticky a uhlíkově nejnáročnější země OECD a znečištění ovzduší představuje vážné zdravotní riziko. Pokrok směrem k udržitelnému rozvoji bude vyžadovat posílení politického závazku k nízkouhlíkovému hospodářství a provádění nákladově efektivnějších environmentálních politik.
Toto je třetí Hodnocení politik životního prostředí České republiky. Vyhodnocuje pokrok směrem k udržitelnému rozvoji a zelenému růstu se zaměřením na oblast nakládání s odpady a materiály a oběhové hospodářství a na udržitelný rozvoj měst.
La ecoinnovación es más significativa que nunca en la agenda de políticas públicas. Es un importante impulsor del crecimiento ecológico y contribuye al desempeño ambiental y el desarrollo económico de los miembros de la OCDE y los países en desarrollo por igual. Este reporte adopta un enfoque pragmático de las políticas de apoyo para el desarrollo y la difusión de ecoinnovaciones. Profundiza en la estrategia de innovación de la OCDE. Explora los vínculos entre las políticas de ecoinnovación y las áreas relacionadas, como industria, competencia y cooperación internacional. Esta obra parte de un inventario de políticas sobre ecoinnovación de los países de la OCDE y de China; también se alimenta de estudios sobre innovaciones respetuosas del ambiente y destaca los diferentes patrones de desarrollo de país a país. Los resultados de esta publicación contribuirán a la estrategia de crecimiento ecológico que desarrolla la OCDE a manera de un útil paquete de políticas para que los gobiernos aprovechen su potencial de crecimiento ecológico.
El informe proporciona un diagnóstico y recomendaciones de políticas en apoyo a la reforma de la gestión del agua en México. Analiza los desafíos de implementación e identifica buenas prácticas en cuatro áreas clave, consideradas motores esenciales del cambio : gobernabilidad multinivel; gobernabilidad de cuencas; eficiencia económica y sustentabilidad financiera; y marco regulatorio de los servicios de agua y saneamiento. Esta publicación es el resultado de un diálogo de políticas públicas de un año entre la OCDE y México siguiendo la adopción del Agenda del Agua 2030 como visión estratégica de largo plazo para el sector.