Unveiling Wealth

Lifting the money veil from our yardsticks of progress - income and wealth - this title reveals the trade-offs of economic growth. It presents indicators of the social, economic and ecological impacts of our lifestyles and production techniques. These help to identify those responsible for these impacts and account for their accountability in terms of environmental and other ("social") costs. Sustainable development is to bring about long-term prosperity without undermining its natural foundation. For the assessment of the opaque concept we need both, physical impact measures and environmentally modified ("green") indicators of income, capital and output. Peter Bartelmus opens the dialogue between frequently hostile camps of economists and environmentalists, data producers and users, and scientists and policy makers. Together, they may steer us towards a sustainable future. Practitioners in business, government and civil society will find valuable tools for making their work more sustainable.