Meet our experts: Sverker Sörlin
Sverker Sörlin, Ph.D., is a distinguished professor of environmental history at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. From 2005 to 2012, he held an adjunct position at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, where he contributed to the development of the planetary boundaries’ framework. Sörlin served as Associate Director for the Center for History of Science at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1988 to 1990 and was the founding director of the Swedish Institute for Studies in Education and Research (SISTER) from 2000 to 2003. He chaired the Swedish committee for the International Polar Year from 2006 to 2009. Additionally, he was a member of the Swedish Government’s Research Advisory Board during 1994–1998 and 2005–2009 and is currently part of the Government’s Environmental Research Board. Since January 1, 2018, Sörlin has been a member of the Climate Policy Council, an independent expert body.
Sörlin’s publications span across various fields, including the history of science, environmental history, forestry history, human ecology, environmental humanities, European history, research policy, innovation studies, and the history and politics of higher education. He is a frequent contributor to Swedish media and writes popular science and narrative non-fiction. His recent books include Grounding Urban Natures: Histories and Futures of Urban Ecologies, with Henrik Ernstson (2019), Ice Humanities: Living, Working and Thinking in a Melting World, with Klaus Dodds (2022), Pathways: Exploring the Routes of a Movement Heritage, with Daniel Svensson and Katarina Saltzman (2022) Resource Extraction and Arctic Communities: The New Extractivist Paradigm (2023).
Industry Perspective: Sverker Sörlin, Professor of Environmental History at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
What are the challenges in quantifying and monetizing ecosystem services? Your books cover numerous regions and a wide range of ecosystem services that benefit local indigenous communities. How do you address their needs in the context of monetizing nature’s services?
I have been primarily interested in the development of ecosystem services as a concept because it ties into my broader interest in environmental history. This concept is part of the modern history of the environment, involving various methods to quantify and monetize the benefits provided by nature. However, it’s important to distinguish between these two aspects: quantification and monetization. Quantification, or identifying and measuring ecosystem services, has been ongoing for quite some time. For example, we recognize spiritual and health-related services provided by nature.
When we think about ecosystem services, we realize there are countless benefits nature provides without us asking for anything. These services are simply there yet quantifying them can be challenging but achievable. Monetization, on the other hand, is more complex. In economic terms, value is often determined by supply and demand, but some ecosystem services don’t have a clear market. For instance, consider a forest where a community worships their gods. The community might find the forest spiritually invaluable, but how do you quantify that value? And further, how would you monetize it?
These questions aren’t always straightforward and can’t always be answered purely scientifically. There was a famous example in 1997 when a group of researchers tried to calculate the total value of Earth’s ecosystem services. The number they arrived at was twice the global GDP at that time, which led to much debate. From a pure economic theory standpoint, this figure seemed impossibly high, as it suggested the planet’s worth was double its GDP.
In summary, while it’s challenging to quantify ecosystem services, it’s even more difficult to put a monetary value on them. This complexity highlights the unique challenges in valuing the benefits nature provides.