Check, please: what do we owe nature?

Never mind how polluted it might be, at least the air we breathe is still free. But what if you had to pay for it--and all the other essential freebies that nature provides? Columbia University Ecology Prof. Shahid Naheem imagines:

Our most vital utilities and services — such as the provisioning of breathable air, potable water, fertile soils, productive fisheries, equitable climate, environmental security, and much more — are all provided for us by millions of species that work around the clock.
...
And the plants, animals, and microorganisms that provide these services have never sent us a bill.
...
Nine years ago, I took part in a study that estimated nature’s services as worth in the neighborhood of 33 trillion dollars a year.  Translate that into modern currency, divide by the 6.5 billion people estimated to currently inhabit the Earth, and every man, woman, and child would get a bill for about $500 each month. 

If we adjust payments so that the biggest users, say the wealthiest nations, pay the most, then the typical bill for a family of 4 in the United States would be more like $13,000 per month. 

Such back-of-the-envelope calculations are wacky, to be sure, but they do drive home the message – biodiversity does a lot for us and asks for nothing in return.

 

Update: Jeff at Sustainablog points to a new study that puts a price tag on natural treasures ($10K for a coral reef, anyone?), and he points out: "If you're feeling a little squeamish about such an exercise, keep in mind that ecosystems come out on top in a cost-benefit analysis."

.I hop

Comments

[home monitoring systems]

Every building today should have after hours entrance points and a particular entrance strategy.

[Tracy]

Biodiversity simply asks for our acknowledgement, thanks and respect. Doing this maintains the cycle of abundance of all living things. Not doing it cuts off the natural energetic give and receive flow.