Environmental Accounting of National Economic Systems: An Analysis of West African Dryland Countries within a Global Context

Publication Date: 2013

This report presents an environmental accounting framework based on a biophysical approach to quantifying values of ecosystem services. The foundation of the method (emergy analysis) is based on our understanding of energy and material flow through systems. Accounting for basic physical flows of energy and materials transformed in both environmental and economic processes permits a direct linkage with monetary valuation of environmental services and natural capital.

Detailed environmental accounting of 134 national economies is presented, with a strong emphasis on the dryland countries of West Africa, where the rural poor are especially dependent on environmental resources. Environmental accounting is used for: (i) understanding the comparative resource basis of nations, (ii) determining the value of global losses of natural capital, (iii) quantifying links between a nations resource basis and indicators of human welfare, and (iv) examining implications of biophysical valuation on international trade and debt.