The increasing interconnectedness between the natural environment, human societies and their economies implies new challenges and opportunities for policymakers. The interdependent nature of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and underlying indicators of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development embodies the need for a systemic approach to tackle the challenges that are currently facing humanity.
Ecosystem accounts are by nature backward-looking: they describe the state of affairs at some point in the past, which may be relevant for a whole range of policies. Policymaking is, by contrast, forward-looking: it seeks to influence future states of affairs based on decisions taken today. The challenge, then, is how to marry the two.
This report focuses on the use of backward-looking data in forward-looking policy scenario analysis that allows policymakers to assess the possible impacts of their choices. The utility of such an approach is demonstrated by the work carried out by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) in various countries and policy areas. It shows how such types of analyses can be informed or improved by applying ecosystem accounts in different types of models and modelling approaches.