Bhutan has become the first country to adopt Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) nationally. Its 2024 estimate is $6.2B.
GEP estimates the annual dollar value of benefits people receive from ecosystems: water supply, carbon storage, flood protection and nature tourism. The aim is to bring those benefits into decisions about land use and investment.
Bhutan has a long history of widening its measures of progress. Its Gross National Happiness index tracks health, education, time use, culture, community and the environment, and is used in national planning.
If we reach something like a “post-economic” future, governments will still decide what to build, protect and fund. Will be interesting to see whether non-GDP metrics play a role there.