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Climate change related statistics from natural capital approach

Explore the statistics and impacts of climate change on natural capital, including ecosystems, land, and sub-soil resources. Discover how climate change affects ecological goods, services, and flows, and learn about the categories of statistical variables within the natural capital framework.

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Climate change related statistics from natural capital approach

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  1. Climate change related statisticsfrom natural capital approach Meeting on Climate Change Related Statistics for Producers and Users Geneva, 19-20 November 2012

  2. Natural assets • Natural assets can be broken into three categories: • Ecosystems: terrestrial, aquatic and the atmosphere • Land: the “space” in which human and ecological activities take place • Sub-soil resources: ecological goods such as minerals, fossil fuels and water • They provide flows of ecological goods and services

  3. Ecological goods and services (EGS) Material goods and services that flow from the environment and are directly consumed by humans, yielding them well-being (Boyd and Banzhaf, 2006) • Climate change is predicted to alter the climate by changing long-term patterns of precipitation, temperature and wind • The relatively stable and predictable climate that has prevailed has been one of the most important ecological services we enjoy

  4. Impacts of climate change on ecological services • Provision of spacemay be impacted by flooding of coastal areas and less productive areas may increase • Flood protection may be disrupted • Protection from vector-borne diseases may be hindered • Transportation service offered by rivers, lakes and oceans may be disrupted • The recreational opportunities offered by the environment are likely to be reduced, including aesthetic, cultural or existence value

  5. Impacts of climate change on ecological goods • Food production may be reduced if rainfall and temperature patterns change • Flows of marine resources (seafood, etc.) may be reduced if ocean temperatures change • Timber and other forest product flows may be reduced • Surface and groundwater flows may be reduced in areas where rainfall decreases

  6. Categories of statistical variables suggested by the natural capital framework • Stocks of natural assets that deliver EGS • Function of the size of assets and of their qualitative characteristics • Flows between the human sphere and natural assets • Flows of EGS from natural assets to the human sphere • Returns to the environment from human sphere for example of waste materials and energy • Flows associated with human efforts to reduce the scale of waste material and energy flows, such as protection expenditure • Flows associated with human efforts to adapt to the loss or reduction of EGS

  7. The scope of climate change statistics according to the natural capital framework • Quantitative and qualitative variables related to the capacity of natural assets to deliver EGS • Variables measuring flows of EGS from natural assets to the human sphere • Variables measuring flows from the human sphere to natural assets, e.g. waste materials and energy • Variables measuring flows related to environmental protection activities • Variables measuring flows related to substitution of other asset services for natural asset services

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