Review of Future Energy Supply and Targets for Climate Change: The Idea of Ecosystem Services - Implementing Environmental and Resource Management - page 124

12.3 Ecosystems Services as Targets for Climate Change
The topic of ecosystem services can attract the scientific community through its
strategic importance for sustainable development and the fight against climate
change. This is not only because ecosystem services are currently threatened and
their importance is being undermined (MEA 2005b; Vitousek 1997), but because
they offer opportunities for financial gain. This is important as it promotes conser-
vation of natural ecosystems through economic incentives. Therefore, an under-
standing of the role of ecosystem services and encouraging incentives to invest in
them could play a vital role in the fight against climate change. For instance, the
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) research (reports from about a thou-
sand international environmental experts) has compiled results of the benefits
from ecosystem services from global, regional to local scales (MEA 2005b).
Therein, is explained how an understanding of these benefits and preservation of
these services could play a vital role in mitigating climate change and reducing the
cost of the huge technology expenditures on efforts to fight climate change. The
report found that 60% of global ecosystem services are being degraded or used
unsustainably. This is mainly a consequence of over-utilization of natural re-
sources to satisfy growing consumption of goods and services, primarily in the
private sector. This means that if ecosystem services are not developed, restored,
maintained and preserved, no matter the technological improvement on emission
reductions, climate change will remain a big problem for a long time. This as-
sumes that cost of technological solutions have opportunity costs and cost-benefit
thresholds, beyond which humanity cannot afford. Since our natural environment
provides services that regulate, control and maintain beneficial environmental
functions (ecosystem services), more effort is justified to support their develop-
ment. Ecosystem services could be subdivided into five categories (Ranthanathan
et al. 2008; Albrechts 2008; MEA 2005b), which are summarized in Figure 12.2 :
• provisions, such as the production of food and water
• regulating, such as the control of climate and disease
• supporting, such as nutrient cycles and crop pollination
• cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits; and
• preserving, which include guarding against uncertainty through the mainte-
nance of diversity