Valuing nature with the NEWP

Protecting the UK's natural environment is to be placed at the heart of the government's ongoing strategic and economic approach, according to the natural environment white paper, recently published by Defra.

Commitments in the paper (see Paul Suff's article What price nature?) include creating a body to advise the government’s Economic Affairs Committee on the best way to protect the environment in economic decision-making and ensuring that all government departments incorporate the value of the natural environment in impact assessments on the likely effects of any proposed policies.

Actions that will impact businesses include the promise of developing new government guidance on measuring and reporting environmental impacts and an agreed method for water footprinting.