It is really no longer necessary to stress the importance of availing of sound statistical information on the environment. Originally .limited to circles of insiders and experts this message has now fully reached political decision makers and the general public at large. In this procedure macro-economics has - sumed a particular role, e.g. when evaluating related financial implications but also when propagating alarming overall figures on the harm this generation is doing to our environment. Accordingly, the need is o!vious to further promote the development of international standards and - operation in the field of environment statistics in general and environmental economic accounts in p- ticular. Therefore, the AiJstrian Statistical Society (ASS) together with the Austrian Central Statistical Office (ACSO) with pleasure hosted the IARIW Special Conference on Environmental Economic Accounts, in May 1991. These institutions are similarly pleased that now this publication on the proceedings of this Conference can be presented. They connect this with grateful thanks to all those who contributed to the successful completion of this work, in particular the authors and the editors. The impression seems warranted that the outcome of this coordinated overall endeavour was more than just better mutual understanding, viz. something like an increasing consciousness of the common - nominator tending to expand. The book reviews a variety of approaches actually attempted nowadays in establishing environmental accounting systems in close vicinity to national accounting (NA). At the same time it also considers the theoretical background and pros and cons of various proposals put forward. That way the reader is enabled to understand the present state of the still often controversial discussion. The topic concerned is how to integrate the depletion of resources, degradation of environment and increased defensive expenditure in NA frameworks. At the same time he may recognize the emerging common denominator. Sufficiently large to serve as a basis of a sort of general reference system. The material has proved to be absolutely suitable for didactical purposes also.