According to the World Health Organization:

There is increasing recognition that environment and health impacts often require valuation in economic terms in order to receive adequate consideration in policy. An integrated economic analysis of such impacts can capture the hidden costs and benefits of policy options, as well as the synergies and institutional economies of scale that may be achieved through complementary policies that support sustainable development.

For instance, the economic benefits to be derived from sustainable forestry practices may be considerable when impacts are analysed as part of a comprehensive policy package; this would relate not only to issues of employment and poverty reduction, but also to the long-term environmental and economic impacts of forest maintenance or depletion, as well as to the health costs of diseases associated with deforestation.