What is environmental cost?
ENVIRONMENTAL COST is how much it costs to maintain the balance of ecosystems and the services provided by these systems such as clean air, water supply and food.Economic activities contribute to the deterioration of natural resources and jeopardize the continuity of these services.Monoculture destroys the biodiversity of an ecosystem and impoverishes the soil through the use of pesticides. In the long term, this area degrades and takes time and money to recover.Environmental costs are costs related to the actual or potential deterioration of natural assets due to economic activities.We can differentiate 2 types of environmental cost:Damage cost: This is due to the consequences of direct environmental impacts such as land degradation or air pollution from coal plants. This cost is mostly caused by public or private companies.Defensive Cost: It is the actual cost to prevent or neutralize potential damage to the environment. It also refers to expenditures to offset or repair the negative effects of economic activities. These costs may include expenses for the well-being of people who have suffered from environmental impacts, such as the case of the Brumadinho dam failure, operated by the Brazilian company Vale do Rio Doce.With the increase in the global population, the preservation and restoration of natural resources is essential for the quality of life of human beings on the planet and in the long term for their own survival.The Generation-Restoration project is the answer to the environmental problem.Source: OECD, Environmental Costs