NEW YORK, 30 April, 2021 (TON): On Thursday, the United Nations and the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) launched a unique artificial intelligence (AI) tool to easily measure the contributions of nature to their economic prosperity and well-being.

Developed by the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and BC3, the newly launched tool can vastly accelerate implementation of the new ground-breaking standard for valuing the contributions of nature that was adopted by the UN Statistical Commission last month.

The new open-source and user-friendly digital tool, called the ARIES for SEEA Explorer, enables, for the first time, rapid and standardized yet customizable ecosystem accounting anywhere on the earth.

However, the tool makes use of AI technology using the Artificial Intelligence for Environment and Sustainability (ARIES) platform to support countries as they apply the new international standard for natural capital accounting, the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) Ecosystem Accounting.

Whereas, a number of countries have already started using the ARIES for SEEA Explorer; however, the explorer will continue to be expanded in the near future.