GDP should be adjusted by environmental indicators which then should be used in a consistent way. However, there are problems with the valuation of environmental assets which works in some cases better than in others. Recommendations for policy response Generally, the feeling was that the most pressing action should be on pollution abatement and the preservation of life supporting resources such as water, soil, biodiversity etc. For these, optimal conservation measures of natural assets, including policies influencing the resource input into the economy, are needed. Some participants underlined the link between resource management and development policies.
Prices play a very important role in our resource use.
It might, however, not always be easy to identify the existence and the dimension of market failures, also with a view to the key question whether weak or strong sustainability should be the yardstick. Once the externalities are identified, it will be necessary to study possible policy measures on their effectiveness. Finally, the capacity of a resource management policy to achieve substantial changes in resource efficiency will also depend on an appropriate communication strategy to show the problems linked to resource use and to support the creation of the necessary political will.