The demand for green national accounts has been prompted by the recognition that contemporary accounts are an unsatisfactory basis for economic evaluation. This paper provides an outline of what would ideally be needed for a comprehensive set of national accounts. National governments and international agencies ought ideally to go even beyond green national accounts. The social worth of natural resources can be decomposed into three parts: use value intrinsic value, and option value. Being sensitive to ecological processes requires investment in early education on the connection between human well-being and the natural environment.
