The Methodological Convention 3.0 for the Assessment of Environmental Costs contains recommendations for methods to assess environmental costs (Part “Methods”) and provides new cost rates for emissions of greenhouse gases, air pollutants and noise, as well as for transport and energy generation (Part “Cost rates”). The cost rates show the benefit of environmental protection for society – and the costs that society incurs if environmental protection is neglected. The cost rates can be used to assess the impacts of laws and public investments, and for the design of economic instruments. In the corporate sector, the cost rates can be used, i.a., to calculate the environmental costs of production and in sustainability reports.

The new version of the handbook – the „Methodological Convention 3.1” – has been published in German on December 21, 2020. It contains an update on the cost rates published in the “Methodological Convention 3.0” as well as new cost rates for building materials, emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus, and GHG emissions in agriculture. An English version will be available early in 2021.