A woodland’s ability to regulate water, soils and carbon can’t be priced. Credit: Alper Tuydes/Anadolu via Getty Humanity’s inability to manage natural resources is putting the world under strain. To end this free-for-all, some economists want to put a price on nature , to motivate people to conserve more and use less. But a purely economic approach will not address the worst problems that the planet faces. On 7 May, an expert group convened by the United Nations delivered its recommendations for metrics of national development to complement gross domestic product (GDP). It proposed 31 indicators , covering foundational principles, well-being, equity and sustainability. The report, Counting What Counts , deserves recognition. Its dashboard of measures acknowledges that sustainable development is multidimensional. Its refusal to cram all the facets of human well-being into one index is a theoretically sound and intellectually courageous choice.…