Monbiot today rages in the Guardian about the commodification of nature as represented by the Government's approach to payments for ecosystem services, put forward in the Natural Environment White Paper.
I support the principles behind the Government's approach to valuing nature/natural capital. For something to possess value it must be valued in some way by a valuer. A market-based approach to determining prices/values is the best approach we have and should be commended.
For the waste industry, I wonder whether there is a potential opportunity to tap into the market for natural capital offsets/payments for ecosystem services through landfill restoration.
A quick search for the term landfill over the White Paper suggests this is not an option which has been considered by the Government. I assume that permit requirements to restore landfills mean that any contribution towards natural capital will be deemed to be part of a business as usual scenario and not therefore eligible for an additional revenue stream for ecosystem payments. But maybe it is something which could be considered in the future?
No comments:
Post a Comment