The Scottish natural capital ecosystem service accounts highlights the relative importance of services provided by Scottish natural assets. Key points include:
- In 2016, the partial asset value of Scottish natural capital was £196 billion, 20% of the UK asset valuation.
- 37% of the asset value was attributable to non-material benefits not directly captured in gross domestic product.
- Living near publicly accessible green and blue spaces added on average £2,393 to property prices in Scottish urban areas.
- Because of the cooling effects of urban green spaces, Edinburgh and Glasgow avoided £3.15 million in productivity losses during 2018.
- Fossil fuel extraction has more than halved between 1998 and 2018.
- In 2018, renewables made up the majority (55%) of Scottish electricity generation, up from 18% in 2008.
- Timber production in Scotland has doubled between 1997 and 2018.
- Our model suggests the equivalent to 1,549 years of life were saved through Scottish vegetation removing air pollution in 2017.
- In 2017, Scotland represented 39% of UK net carbon sequestration.
- During 2017, over 1 billion hours were spent on visits for outdoor recreation in Scotland.