How do we assign a dollar value to the natural world around us? And how do we do it in a way that protects the environment without stifling economic growth?
The question, and the challenge, is being answered with an unprecedented collaboration between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont.
Dr. Robert Costanza is the Institute’s Director and recently visited our VPR studios to help explain the goals of his research into ecological economics: