Press Release: Environment: Keeping ecosystems healthy makes economic sense and is vital to control climate change, says Commissioner Dimas

On 13 November 2009 EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas underlined the importance of valuing the benefits we derive from nature in order to protect them more effectively. Nature provides numerous services for free, like water regulation, flood protection and carbon storage. Growing pressure on ecosystems around the world means that the provision of many of these services is now at risk. While technological solutions can replace some of them, this usually comes at a significant cost. Protecting and restoring biodiversity is therefore an essential step in the transition to a more sustainable economy, particularly because biodiversity will also play a vital role if we are to succeed in combating climate change. Commissioner Dimas will launch the findings in a key report by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, a major independent global study co-funded by the European Commission. Study leader Pavan Sukhdev will also present the TEEB for Policy Makers Report.

European Commission: MEMO/09/501: Questions and answers on the 'TEEB for Policy Makers' report http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/501&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

European Commission: SPEECH/09/529: Keeping ecosystems healthy makes economic sense and is vital to control climate change http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/09/529&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

ESO: Background information: European Commission Website: Nature and biodiversity http://www.europeansources.info/record/website-nature-and-biodiversity/

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