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From natural resources and environmental accounting to construction of indicators for sustainable development

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  • Alfsen, Knut H.
  • Greaker, Mads

Abstract

Norway has a long history in trying to develop management tools for sustainable development. From the early development of natural resources accounts in the 1980's, through discussions of the usefulness of indices like "green GDP" to efforts of developing sustainable development indicators, experiences have been gained. The paper seeks to both describe the landscape and discussions associated with the key terms, and to communicate some lessons drawn from the Norwegian experiences. The conclusion focuses on the fact that whatever information is collected and organised to support the relevant decision-making processes, the final outcome should always be judged in terms of its impacts on policy processes. Thus, we issue a warning against large-scale development of information systems, without due regard to the final utilisation of the output.
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  • Alfsen, Knut H. & Greaker, Mads, 2007. "From natural resources and environmental accounting to construction of indicators for sustainable development," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(4), pages 600-610, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:61:y:2007:i:4:p:600-610
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    3. Shoeib Faraji Abdolmaleki & Danial Esfandiary Abdolmaleki & Pastora M. Bello Bugallo, 2023. "Finding Sustainable Countries in Renewable Energy Sector: A Case Study for an EU Energy System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.
    4. Jian Zhang & Guishan Yang & Lijie Pu & Buzhuo Peng, 2014. "Trends and Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Sustainability in Eastern Anhui Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-17, November.
    5. Dovern, Jonas & Rickels, Wilfried & Quaas, Martin F., 2012. "Nachhaltigkeitspotenzial deutscher Städte," Kiel Policy Brief 50, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    6. Visbeck, Martin & Kronfeld-Goharani, Ulrike & Neumann, Barbara & Rickels, Wilfried & Schmidt, Jörn & van Doorn, Erik & Matz-Lück, Nele & Ott, Konrad & Quaas, Martin F., 2014. "Securing blue wealth: The need for a special sustainable development goal for the ocean and coasts," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 184-191.
    7. Greaker, Mads & Stoknes, Per Espen & Alfsen, Knut H. & Ericson, Torgeir, 2013. "A Kantian approach to sustainable development indicators for climate change," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 10-18.
    8. Zohreh Sadeghi & Reza Farzipoor Saen & Mahdi Moradzadehfard, 2022. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Developing a network data envelopment analysis model for appraising sustainable supply chains: a sustainability accounting approach," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 809-824, December.
    9. Jendrzejewski, Błażej, 2020. "Bioeconomic modelling – An application of environmentally adjusted economic accounts and the computable general equilibrium model," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    10. Ibsa Mussa & Awel Feku & Mohammed Mussa, 2018. "Environmental Accounting and Auditing and Eco mark," Current Investigations in Agriculture and Current Research, Lupine Publishers, LLC, vol. 5(3), pages 660-662, November.
    11. Campos, Pablo & Álvarez, Alejandro & Mesa, Bruno & Oviedo, José L. & Caparrós, Alejandro, 2021. "Linking standard Economic Account for Forestry and ecosystem accounting: Total forest incomes and environmental assets in publicly-owned conifer farms in Andalusia-Spain," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    12. Guangdong Wu & Guofeng Qiang & Jian Zuo & Xianbo Zhao & Ruidong Chang, 2018. "What are the Key Indicators of Mega Sustainable Construction Projects? —A Stakeholder-Network Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Kristine Grimsrud & Lars Lindholt & Mads Greaker, 2015. "Resource Rent in Norwegian Fisheries. Trends and policies," Discussion Papers 827, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    14. Grace Nishimwe & Didier Milindi Rugema & Claudine Uwera & Cor Graveland & Jesper Stage & Swaib Munyawera & Gabriel Ngabirame, 2020. "Natural Capital Accounting for Land in Rwanda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-25, June.
    15. Leontina Pavaloaia, 2012. "Overview of the Practical and Theoretical Approaches to the Estimation of Mineral Resources. A Financial Perspective," Acta Universitatis Danubius. OEconomica, Danubius University of Galati, issue 5(5), pages 104-117, October.
    16. Visbeck, Martin & Kronfeld-Goharani, Ulrike & Neumann, Barbara & Rickels, Wilfried & Schmidt, Jörn & van Doorn, Erik, 2013. "Establishing a sustainable development goal for oceans and coasts to face the challenges of our future ocean," Kiel Working Papers 1847, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    17. Alvarez Etxeberria, Igor & Garayar, Ainhoa & Calvo Sánchez, José Antonio, 2015. "Development of sustainability reports for farming operations in the Basque Country using the Delphi method," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 44-54.
    18. Viktor Pirmana & Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana & Rutger Hoekstra & Arnold Tukker, 2019. "Implementation Barriers for a System of Environmental-Economic Accounting in Developing Countries and Its Implications for Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-35, November.
    19. Samakovlis, Eva, 2008. "How are Green National Accounts Produced in Practice?," Working Papers 105, National Institute of Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • N5 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries
    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q3 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation

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