Simply put, the US government is creating a system to better account for its natural assets — from the minerals that power the American tech economy and drive the electric-vehicle revolution, to the ocean and rivers that support America's fishing industry, to the forests that clean our air.
A big takeaway from this is that the National Strategy will be (hopefully) used to influence policy decisions now and in the future. And it's great to see the government putting in resources to quantify the immense value that natural capital provides. Finally, the US government is doing its environmental due diligence!
Making money off the environment without understanding the actual value of the environment has represented a hurdle for environmental policymakers.
Now it seems things are going in the right direction with a greater appreciation of the environment and how natural resources truly underpin economic well-being and prosperity in the United States.
By the way, I was perusing the national strategy document, and I was wowed by this, "Our current national economic accounts—the organized data describing the US economy, often summarized as Gross Domestic Product (GDP)— is largely disconnected from the natural world. Yet American families, American businesses, and the American economy depend on nature."
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
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This ambitious blueprint ought to be replicated all over the world if we are to arrest the climate crisis as soon as possible
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This are important issues that need to be taken care of.... wish other countries should do the same.
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@zelda_ninga_442 other countries are getting around to it. I read that China is starting to do this too. I hope the trend continues!
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Other countries should also be concerned and also find a system to better account for their natural resources...where there is a will there is a way
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This is very crucial. Big up U.S. The first thing is to appreciate the value of the environment which we depend on then make the right decisions on how to exploit it while conserving and preserving it.
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@tabitha_kimani I’m hoping other countries do the same!