In recent years analysts, researchers and environmental policy makers have been faced with a serious shortage of empirical data on environmental phenomena. In fact, the information gathered by various organizations has not yet been systematically classified into a single system of accounts. This, in turn, threatens to jeopardize the reliability and completeness of the information. This work represents the results of a joint research effort by the Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei and Italy's Central Statistical Office (ISTAT) to design a system of accounts for natural and environmental resources. The resulting environmental accounts can be integrated with the existing system of national accounting, in order to estimate the so-called "green GDP" or "net national product".
