Environmental Accounting of Korea

This study investigates the economic viability of the Republic of Korea’s national forestation programme, which began in the 1960s and ultimately resulted in the successfully recovery of its forests and the ecosystem services associated with them. The study found that the programme was economically viable in the long-term, with the break-even point of the extensive investment on forestation appearing within two decades. In addition, this study highlights some key lessons from Korea’s programme that other countries could apply to maximize the probability of success in their own countries.

Economic growth in many countries has up to now been based on the linear economic “take-make-dispose” model. This has led to a tremendous increase in worldwide extraction of material resources (biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and non-metallic minerals) in recent decades. In 2017, more than half of the global material resource...

Water security and water quality affect numerous economic sectors and areas: agriculture, energy, disaster management, and others. Countries need balanced and integrated approaches that are economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. Threats related to climate change have added to the complexity, and to the importance, of water resource management.  Korea’s integrated...

This report addresses the issue of sustainable development in Namibia, an economy dependent on mineral resources. While mineral wealth can provide countries with an opportunity for economic development, resource abundance does not necessarily lead to economic prosperity. In Namibia, the mining sector is critical to the economy and mineral assets form a major source of national wealth. However, the national accounts give a distorted picture of economic health because they record the contribution of mining to GDP but not to the simultaneous depletion of mineral wealth.