Matters of Scale - Valuing the Earth
Valuing the Earth
Average or typical cost, price, or value, in U.S. dollars per square meter, of:
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Privately owned Brazilian virgin timberland
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$.005
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New Mexico (U.S.A.) agricultural land
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$.05
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Privately owned Costa Rican rainforest
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$.20
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Indonesian coral reefs
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$1.00
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New Jersey (U.S.A.) agricultural land
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$1.98
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Prime Australia vineyard
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$9.07
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U.S. interstate highway
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$154.00
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Standard Tokyo three-bedroom apartment
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$5,066.67
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Manhattan real estate, New York, U.S.A
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$10,821.60
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Single-depth lakeside plot, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California, U.S.A.
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$62,857.14
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Sources: Cited values in, or Worldwatch estimates based on data in, the following (in order): Land and Farm, Inc. (www.landandfarm.com); U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (New Mexico and New Jersey land values); Portfolio Costa Rica (www.portfoliocr.com); National Council of Applied Economic Research (New Delhi, India); Kilikanoon Wines/news; United Nations Environment Programme; U.S. Federal Highway Administration; Daily Times (Pakistan); Miller Samuel, Inc.; Hollywood Forever Cemetery.