Introducing our new ‘blog’ space Root and Branch: NetZeroPlus Thought Pieces in which we invite members of our research team to share their views and analysis on a topic of their choosing.

In the first of the series ‘Why do economists use money to measure the value of environmental change?’ Professor Ian Bateman, the Research lead for the NetZeroPlus lead Programme, and Professor of Environmental Economics at the University of Exeter, provides an accessible and informative introduction to the role of economists and economic measurements (money) in environmental change.

Exploring the connections between the economy and the environment is very topical. As the new Truss Government has put economic growth as the heart of public debate, groups such as the National Trust, RSPB, the Angling Trust and Wildlife Trusts have raised their concerns of an ‘anti-nature growth push‘. Government Ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg have pushed back on this characterisation, noting ‘Critics suggest our growth agenda conflicts with the need to achieve net zero. They couldn’t be more wrong’ (The Guardian, 13 October 2022).

Ian’s blog explores the connections between environmental change projects, specifically how we evaluate the relative costs and success of different projects in different places. It demonstrates how ‘money’ and the environment are part of intertwined systems, the importance of which is at the heart of current debates.

Read the article at the link below: