Three articles

The Natural Capital Committee now has this peculiar role – an ‘independent’ quango – but charged with, among other things producing a 25 year plan for the environment. Despite their last three reports and pronouncements, their effectiveness at influencing Government policies for the benefit of the environment is yet to be demonstrated – just look at air quality. No doubt as time goes on people will look rather more critically at their work beyond the benefits to environmental economists.

1. WWF have taken the opportunity to highlight the needs of the environment! A smarter approach to the UK’s annual Budget, that takes account of the value of the natural environment and responds to global threats and opportunities from natural resource scarcity and climate change, would promote greater resilience and generate substantial benefits to the UK economy and businesses, WWF-UK claims today. A smarter approach to the UK’s annual Budget, that takes account of the value of the natural environment and responds to global threats and opportunities from natural resource scarcity and climate change, would promote greater resilience and generate substantial benefits to the UK economy and businesses, WWF-UK claims today.
2. A new report from the European Environment Agency argues that natural capital, which includes fresh water, natural flood protection and climate regulation, is being degraded or lost as a result of human activity.
3. Defra ‘Environment Secretary, Elizabeth Truss, has established a new Natural Capital Committee (NCC), fulfilling a Government manifesto commitment by appointing six new members to the independent advisory body to take forward the implementation of the new 25-year Environment Plan. The NCC provides advice on the state of English Natural Capital to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee. This new phase of the committee will help embed the use of open data, values, tools and techniques for local and national decision-makers to use to improve England’s natural capital as part of the 25-year Environment Plan. The new members will join the Chair, Professor Dieter Helm who was reappointed in December 2015. Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Elizabeth Truss said:

Through bringing together considerable skills and experience from a wide range of backgrounds, this new NCC will provide expert advice on how to expand our knowledge of natural capital, how best to use open data to drive environmental improvement and apply what we have learned in practice through the 25-year plan for the environment.

The six newly appointed members of the Committee include:

• Professor Colin Mayer
• Diane Coyle
• Professor Georgina Mace
• Professor Ian Bateman
• Professor Kathy Willis
• Professor Paul Leinster