Webinar: Valuing Functions and Values of Ecosystems in Environmental Planning and Analysis

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT 

Valuing Functions and Values of Ecosystems in Environmental Planning and Analysis

Date and Time: Wednesday, November 19, 2014, at 10:00 am PT
Duration: Event will last 90 minutes
Seattle: Anchor QEA (720 Olive Way, Suite 1900)

The National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP) and Vermont Law School (VLS) invite you to attend an educational webinar on “Valuing Functions and Values of Ecosystems in Environmental Planning and Analysis.”  The webinar will be held on Wednesday, November 19 from 1-2:30pm ET.  A description of what will be covered is below.

Valuing ecological functions and values can be critically important in assessing project benefits and costs, in relation to the environment, engineering, and economics. Increasingly, the project planning and environmental review process is moving beyond traditional basic models of supply and demand for economic modeling and thoughtfully evaluating the non-market goods, including the consideration of the functions and values associated with natural systems that contribute to human welfare and sustainable practices. Policymakers and regulators are being asked to reflect the lost value associated with diminished ecosystem services resulting from pollution or poor management to design efficient regulations and natural resource management plans. In this webinar, panelists will explore the theory, the policies, and the practical challenges of putting a value on ecosystem services. Panelists will discuss cases where a value is used to defend preservation of a natural system, or as a basic cash penalty against someone who destroys a resource. Looking at theory, existing policy, and case studies, panelists will explore the potential value, and occasional tangles, of using environmental valuation to protect and remediate natural systems.

Speakers:

• Dr. Steve Letendre, Vermont Law School – Dr. Letendre teaches Environmental Economics and Markets for VLS. Also a professor of economics and environmental studies at Green Mountain College, his research involves the economic analysis of emerging environmental technologies and the development of policies and regulations to promote a sustainable energy future. Professor Letendre has a PhD in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware, and degrees from SUNY Binghamton, and Bryant College.
• Christie Klimas, De Paul University - Christie’s research brings together ecology and economics, in urban and tropical settings, to address questions of sustainable resource use. Due to the economic drivers underlying resource use, economic knowledge is an essential component of sustainability. Indeed, economic studies have moved to the forefront of sustainable ecosystem management and recent research has focused on quantifying the monetary benefit of ecosystem services like pollination, water filtration, and carbon storage. From valuing tropical forests for their economic potential to quantifying the benefits of urban green space, a commonality in her research interests is working toward ecologically sustainable resource management that recognizes the role of citizen stakeholders. One of her research priorities is working with undergraduate students on projects that will give them the skills to conduct and use science throughout their careers. More information on all these projects can be found on her website: http://christieklimas.weebly.com/.
• David Simpson is Director of Ecosystem Economic Studies at the National Center for Environmental Economics at US EPA - Before taking his current position at NCEE he served as a Senior Fellow at Resources for the Future, a Washington-based nonprofit research organization.  He has also held faculty appointments at Tufts University, University College London, and Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.  Simpson's work and research has focused on valuing the contributions of natural assets such as forests, wetlands, and animal populations, and analyzing strategies for their conservation.  He has been a coordinating lead author for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, a review editor for the "TEEB" (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity" work), and serves on the Policy and Technical Experts Committee advising the World Bank's "WAVES" (Wealth Accounting for the Value of Ecosystem Services) project.  He has published widely on environmental and ecological economics.  Simpson received his BA in economics from Whitman College, and his Ph. D., also in economics, from MIT.

Moderator:

• Rebecca Purdom is the Assistant Dean of the Environmental Law Program at VLS. She received her BS in science journalism from Linfield College in 1992 and her JD and MSEL degrees from VLS in 1996, where she also served as the managing editor of the Vermont Law Review.