Inclusive Wealth Report 2018 - Chapter 3

This chapter examines the role and importance of natural capital in measuring the inclusive wealth of nations and regions, using a 140-country analysis covering 1990–2014. It distinguishes renewable resources, including agricultural land, forests and fisheries, from non-renewable resources, including fossil fuels and minerals, and assesses their changes at national and regional levels. The chapter also examines relationships between natural capital, natural disasters and resilience, and introduces renewable energy as a capital stock within the inclusive wealth framework. A detailed methodology is presented for estimating fishery capital using catch and resource-dynamics data, while renewable energy capital is estimated through investment and depreciation approaches. The findings show widespread declines in natural capital, particularly fisheries and fossil fuels, alongside regional differences and changes in renewable energy capital. Full report is available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/27597