{"id":17640,"date":"2020-05-10T13:55:19","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T11:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naider.com\/naiderlab\/la-naturaleza-no-tiene-precio-pero-asignarselo-ayuda-a-conservarla\/"},"modified":"2023-04-24T13:36:15","modified_gmt":"2023-04-24T11:36:15","slug":"nature-has-no-price-but-assigning-it-helps-to-preserve-it","status":"publish","type":"naiderlab","link":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/naiderlab\/knowledge\/articles\/nature-has-no-price-but-assigning-it-helps-to-preserve-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature has no price, but assigning it helps to preserve it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/naider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/composite-1024x761-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17088\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Definition of valuation: Recognizing, estimating or appreciating the value or merit of something.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Evaluation is inseparable from decision making.\nWhen we make a decision it means that we have previously carried out a\nValue judgment. Many times this assessment occurs in our subconscious,\nso we do not realize that we have done it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/387253a0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">article\nscientist<\/a> published by <em>Nature<\/em> magazine\nin 1997<em>,<\/em> written by Robert Costanza and 12 other co-authors, attracted\nsociety&#8217;s attention to the <strong>economic valuation of nature<\/strong>.\nThe value of nature was then estimated at 33 trillion dollars. Years\nlater, in 2014, <a href=\"https:\/\/community-wealth.org\/sites\/clone.community-wealth.org\/files\/downloads\/article-costanza-et-al.pdf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">another article was published <\/a>\nupdating said value in 145 trillion dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason for assigning a price to the benefits that\nwe obtain from the environment (the so-called <a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ecosystem_Services\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ecosystem services<\/a>) is simple: <strong>the economic system threatens the\nnature because the latter has no monetary value<\/strong>. Much of what we\nprovided by nature is &#8220;free&#8221;, that is, it is not taken into account by the\nmarket economy; see, for example, the services offered to us by\nforests, based on flood regulation or purification of the\nair, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/ecosystem-services-biodiversity\/en\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">among many other services<\/a>. The idea is based on the fact that economically valuing\nbenefits that nature brings us could stimulate its protection and\nconservation: if something has a price, it is no longer invisible to\ngovernments and companies, becoming a &#8220;valued&#8221; and &#8220;protected&#8221; service due to\nto its contribution to the economy and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the publication of the first mentioned article, they have\nThere have been many <strong>criticisms that the idea of \u200b\u200bputting a price on\nbenefits that ecosystems bring to society<\/strong>, the main ones being:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The environmental sector should not be \u201csold out\u201d to a\nneoliberal vision of nature and the economic system that causes multiple\nsocial and environmental problems: poverty, inequality, climate change\u2026 . Be based\non a monetary approach to conserving nature is a purely\ncapitalist and dependent on unsustainable economic growth. <\/li><li>The economic benefits of conserving nature\nare less than those obtained for destroying it (to create farm fields,\nurbanizations\u2026). The rate of return offered by nature will be\nalways less than any speculation and financial investment. Sooner or later,\nPutting a price on nature will contribute to its privatization and, therefore, to\nits degradation in favor of economic activities to which little or nothing benefits\nconcern about the state of the environment.<\/li><li>Ecosystems should be protected for reasons\npurely moral or aesthetic, rather than economic reasons. <\/li><li>Monetary valuation of the environment is understood\nas something foolish and very difficult to do. Cannot put a value to\nsomething &#8220;intangible&#8221; such as nature, human life or beauty in\noverall.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These arguments are largely right and most of them are based on fear<\/strong>; a fear of privatization and the degradation of the ecosystems on which we depend so much. A fear and lack of confidence in the current economic system that is fully justified, since it has not proven to be capable of protecting and managing nature in a sustainable manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>However, at this point, it is necessary to\nclarify the main objective of economically valuing <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/es.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Servicios_del_ecosistema\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>ecosystem services<\/strong><\/a><strong> : <\/strong>the\nawareness of the population about the importance of the environment and the\nconsideration of the environment in political decision-making. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Monetising the benefits we obtain from ecosystems helps people who are not familiar with scientific or technical language to be aware of the great value that the environment has for society<\/strong>. Money is, for better and for worse, the most widely known and used indicator in the world. Therefore, using this language can serve to increase people&#8217;s environmental awareness. In addition, economic valuation allows politicians and agents responsible for decision-making to know the approximate value of the land, land use, etc., that they manage on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, environmental monetization can be used as a tool to improve political decision-making related to the environment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Put a price on the benefits we get from\nenvironment does not imply \u201cselling nature\u201d<\/strong>. There is no need to fear privatization in that sense;\nno one is going to privatize and sell the related public goods to the highest bidder\nwith nature (the air, the clean water of a river\u2026). It is something impossible or very\nunlikely. Another thing is the negative externalities of the system\neconomic, but that is another topic (<a href=\"https:\/\/naider.com\/adapting-the-capitalist-system-to-the-new-environmental-challenges\/\">read more here<\/a>).\nAt the same time, the discourse of what is morally correct must be parallel,\nand not mutually exclusive, to economic discourse. By that rule of three, also\nThe protection of nature could be immoral if this implies <a href=\"https:\/\/wsimag.com\/en\/economics-and-politics\/21178-the-indigenous-and-planetary-conservation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the banishment of indigenous populations<\/a>, as is currently the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One should not be afraid of uniting the economy and the environment.<\/strong> As mentioned at the beginning of the article, political decisions already imply a personal assessment of the environment, although this is not Express in monetary units. Therefore, the assessment, influenced by multiple personal and collective factors, is already there, consciously or unconsciously. If a &#8220;subjective&#8221; assessment is already carried out, why not put a price on it &#8211; even if it is approximate &#8211; so that we all understand each other and thus be able to value the importance of the environment? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The need for transformation is undeniable\nsocioeconomic towards a system that knows how to value the environment as\ndeserves. It takes a kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/naider.com\/new-version-available-capitalism-2-0\/\">Capitalism 2.0<\/a>,\nmore sustainable, kinder, less predatory. But while we carry out\nsuch transformation, the economic valuation of the environment can\ncontribute to raising awareness among people, especially politicians, about our\ndependence on nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After all, maybe all we needed was a common language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Julen Gonz\u00e1lez Red\u00edn<\/strong><br><strong>PhD in Sustainable Development and Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition of valuation: Recognizing, estimating or appreciating the value or merit of something. Evaluation is inseparable from decision making. When we make a decision it means that we have previously carried out a Value judgment. Many times this assessment occurs in our subconscious, so we do not realize that we have done it. A article&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15397,"template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"hashtag-lab":[],"naiderlab_tag":[154],"naiderlab_category":[51],"ppma_author":[198],"class_list":["post-17640","naiderlab","type-naiderlab","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","naiderlab_tag-territorial-strategy-and-governance","naiderlab_category-articles"],"taxonomy_info":{"naiderlab_tag":[{"value":154,"label":"Territorial strategy and governance"}],"naiderlab_category":[{"value":51,"label":"Articles"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/naider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/compuesta-1024x761-1.png",1024,761,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Naider","author_link":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/author\/sirope-naid3r\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naiderlab\/17640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naiderlab"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/naiderlab"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"hashtag-lab","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag-lab?post=17640"},{"taxonomy":"naiderlab_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naiderlab_tag?post=17640"},{"taxonomy":"naiderlab_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naiderlab_category?post=17640"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naider.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=17640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}